


Gameplay

by Azurelitestar



Category: Durarara!!, Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Crossover, Drama, F/M, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mystery, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-28
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2017-11-27 07:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 47
Words: 277,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/659317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azurelitestar/pseuds/Azurelitestar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>P4 x DRRR. In which the Investigation Team learns that the truth isn't what it seems when strange happenings occur in Ikebukuro. Eventual Shizaya, hints for many other pairings. Spoilers for the DRRR anime, novels, and all Persona games.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> If I have gotten anything wrong about certain facts, such as education or housing in Japan, please do not hesitate to tell me. I won't be able to correct the fic, but I'll definitely keep the real facts in mind for any future fics.
> 
> Also, while it's written in the summary that there are spoilers for the Durarara!! novels, not all of the novel-only characters will be appearing. But because a handful may appear, and also because there may be references to events that happened in the novel, I put a spoilers warning just in case.
> 
> On the other hand, since it's written that there are spoilers for all Persona games, I really do mean ALL Persona games (i.e. including P4Arena, Persona 3 Portable, and Persona 4 Golden). While the focus is on the P4 cast, characters from other Persona games will also make their appearances or get referenced in this fic.
> 
> And finally, thank you for reading Gameplay! (Sorry for being so long-winded...)

The first thing he notices upon his awakening is the cool breeze brushing against his face.

He’s seated comfortably on a cushion, hands folded in his lap and legs planted firmly on the solid surface beneath his feet. It’s shaking a little, and he hears something that sounds like a horse’s neigh. He doesn’t really understand why, but he’s more interested in what he is doing here in the first place, for the last thing he remembers is lying down on his bed, finally getting the proper rest he deserved after being horribly sleep-deprived for the past week.

He remembers the silky sensation of his covers as he wrapped himself up with them. He remembers watching the moonbeams penetrating his window, and he remembers getting up to close the curtains. He doesn’t remember the curtains being blue, though.

Yet here he is, in a tiny space with walls painted a deep shade of blue. He doesn’t look down, but he’s certain that the ground is blue as well, though he cannot offer a valid explanation for such feelings. The lighting is dim, but he’s aided well by the moonlight coming in from the round hole next to him so he’s able to make out the shape of a small round table in front of him. It is, doubtlessly, covered with a blue cloth.

There is a man sitting behind the table. He leans forward to get a better look, but finds himself unable to move, as if some force is holding him in place. He tries to curl his fingers, but they, too, remain perfectly still. It is then that he realises that he’s not breathing. His heart is silent, despite the peculiarity of the circumstances he is currently in. The shaking has stopped.

In this moment of serenity and calmness, he hears a deep, smooth voice reverberating in his head. Then he focuses his gaze on the man before him, and doesn’t flinch when he finds himself staring into a pair of bloodshot eyes, filled with what appears to be excitement and delight.

A chuckle.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.”

And the carriage moves on.


	2. April 12 2013 - April 13 2013

**April 12, 2013**

It had been nearly an entire year since his last visit to Inaba.

The previous time he returned to the peaceful town had been during the summer break in the preceding year. He was greeted by his close friends and family who held a party to commemorate his return. After that, Souji made sure to spend every moment possible with them: eating with them at the Junes food court, having sleepovers at the Amagi family inn, even reading out bedtime stories to his young cousin and taking her with him on the group outings.

He was glad to know that the friends he made during his year-long stay at Inaba didn’t change their contact details, and called up all of them to arrange a time for them to meet up. Kou and Daisuke took him to see the progress of the basketball team he was a member of. Ai was there, doing her job as secretary of the team seriously, and spared a few minutes to engage him in a conversation. He noticed the many subtle hints the sandy blond-haired girl was dropping for the navy blue-haired captain, and it seemed like he was beginning to notice them and even blushing lightly sometimes, despite his feelings towards Satonaka. It made Souji feel relieved that Ai was coping well, but the situation worried him nonetheless; love triangles are... _complicated_.

Then he bumped into Yumi, who was busy with preparations for an upcoming school play. She still spent quite a while with him though, telling him about how her life had been after he left and thanking him once more before she sprinted off. After he left the school compounds and wandered into the shopping street, Souji bumped into Naoki at the liquour store. The latter seemed pleasantly surprised to see him back in Inaba, and told him about how he had been going to Junes more often. He even got along well with Hanumura now, which made Souji relieved and glad for the both of them.

Souji later dropped by the daycare centre, but didn't manage to see Eri. He made sure to leave a note with the staff to pass it to her when they saw her, then visited the hospital to ask the staff about Sayoko. Apparently, she had been recently awarded for her remarkable contributions through her volunteer work overseas, and would be heading to another secluded part of Africa to continue her efforts. It was heartwarming to hear that.

When taking the bus back to the shopping district, he had decided to pay Shu a little visit, but it turned out that the boy had friends over so Souji promptly left after exchanging a few words with Shu, feeling rather happy and proud of him. With some time to spare, Souji decided to spend it by heading towards the TV station to look for Marie. The first thing she did was call him a 'stupid jerk face'. The grey-haired adolescent laughed heartily upon hearing that.

The next day, he recalled, he had gone to the Tatsuhime Shrine to see the fox. He made an offering and a short but sincere prayer before he made his way over to the police station to visit Adachi in prison. It was not an easy decision to make, but Souji felt that it was the right thing to do. After all, he had not thanked the older man for writing the letter that led Souji and his team to Izanami.

And that was exactly what he did, the moment Adachi took a seat in the visiting room. His gesture startled the former detective a little, but after that, they engaged in a surprisingly normal conversation. Souji felt something stir within him after his visit, but shrugged it off, and returned home to an enthusiastic Nanako and Dojima, who had prepared a feast to commemorate his return to the Dojima household once more.

Souji had spent his entire summer holiday in Inaba, and was sad when the break was nearing its end. After he left the town again, he never went back. He still kept in contact with everyone, of course, but over time, the amount of time spent on such interaction dwindled as everyone got busier and busier. While it did make him feel a little lonely, Souji remembered Margaret's kind words to him, and managed to get by while keeping those words in mind.

Until he woke up at three in the morning of April 12, his sleep disturbed by a violent ringing in his head.

Five minutes after that, he received news through a message from an unknown number that Hisano had passed away.

He quickly dialled the number and learnt that it had been Hisano's son who contacted him.

"She often told me about you, Seta-kun," the unfamiliar voice spoke quietly and meekly. Souji heard sniffles in the background and felt shivers going down his spine. "She gave me this number a few days ago and kept reminding me to call you if she... I'm so sorry that our first conversation has to happen this way..."

Souji learnt that the funeral was to be held in Inaba.

Without hesitation, the eighteen-year-old packed some clothes and immediately left to catch the earliest train. At the station, he sent messages to his team mates, informing them about his sudden return, but received no reply back.

When he finally reached Inaba, he was welcomed by no one. He wandered into the shopping street, which was deserted and unusually quiet. Then he walked the way to the Dojima household, and found it to be empty. Leaving his bag of clothes at what used to be his room, Souji returned to the shopping street and headed towards the Tatsuhime Shrine.

So here he is now, surrounded by people he recognised as well as people who were complete strangers to him. The fox was nowhere to be seen; Souji figured that it didn't take sorrowful events all too well and had gone to reside somewhere else until the mourning period was over. Then he noticed that Yosuke had walked up to him, looking solemn and oddly melancholic, despite the fact that he didn't know who Hisano was.

"...We got your message, dude." And Souji understood.

The next few hours had been terrible, to say the least, but Souji was grateful for the comforting presence of his friends and family by his side. He managed to meet with Hisano's son and other relatives, who were willing to share information about Hisano's life with him. It made Souji feel strangely insignificant and inferior, for he had nothing else to give back in return, even though Hisano's family insisted that he had already done enough for her.

Most people would think that Hisano's death shouldn't have such a grave impact on him. After all, he didn’t spend much time with her. It was strange for a young man like him to feel so strongly about the passing of an elderly widow whom he had no blood relation to and had only known for just a few fleeting moments of his life. If anything, people would expect him to only show a little bit of sympathy and sadness, like any other person would at the news of a stranger's death.

But Hisano wasn't just a stranger to him. Yes, Souji had only known her for a while, but the duration did not matter. It was what had happened in that seemingly brief moment that truly mattered. In those few days, Hisano had willingly poured out all her thoughts, all her feelings, allowing Souji a glimpse into the sorrowful, lonely woman hiding beneath the thin, black veil over her wrinkled face. She treated him kindly, and would sometimes pat him on the shoulder or his knee in an almost endearing manner as she told him her life story and he told her his.

Hisano was like a grandmother Souji never remembered having. While spending time with her, sometimes his thoughts would wander and he would instinctively compare her to his own grandmother, but he'd often find himself drawing a blank on how she even looked like in the first place, let alone how she was like as a person.

That, he supposed, was why it hurt to hear that a wonderful and caring lady like Hisano had passed away so suddenly.

"She said she wanted to buried along with Dad,” Kuroda’s child explained, trying to remain calm. “So we transferred her to the hospital here after we got approval from the doctors. We wanted to contact you then, but her condition suddenly took a turn for the worse, and right after that, she..."

Souji then requested for the man not to speak any further. Hisano's son thanked him for his understanding as he tried to hold back the tears, but just a few seconds later, he broke down. And he remained there, on that spot in front of his mother's photograph, crying his heart out.

***

It was evening before he knew it.

By then, his friends had already left for home.

Nanako and Dojima had offered to wait for him, but he told them to go back first, that he would return home soon. Nanako wrapped her arms around his waist and said nothing before she pulled away reluctantly and returned home. Souji felt something cold and wet trickling down his face once she left, and stared up to find an unusually dark and gloomy sky.

Then he left the shrine and made his way towards the Samegawa Flood Plain, ignoring the light showers of rain. He walked down the steps leading to the Samegawa River, then stood by the river bank, staring into the rippling waters.

_"I'm sure I don't have very long left in this world, but that isn't the case for you."_

Souji reached into his pocket and brought out an old fountain pen. It was black and beautifully coated with cherry blossom patterns. The paint was coming off, and it was getting harder to remove the cover, but to Souji, it looked and felt like the most marvellous pen he had ever owned.

_"You're carrying on my story now. I think I can keep smiling, to the end."_

The grey-haired adolescent curled his fingers around the pen, gripping it so tightly his fingers turned pale. He continued staring into the river waters, trying as hard as he could to block out the multitude of voices whispering in his head.

_"I think...I've had a good life."_

Souji returned to the Dojima residence later that night, drenched and completely soaked to the skin. He headed to his room, without giving the shower a second glance, and locked the door behind him. Then he sat by the desk on the floor, grabbed a piece of paper and removed the cap on the old fountain pen, and began to write.

He couldn't bring himself to write anything more than a “Thank you”.

Souji turned in with his wet clothes on that night.

***

**April 13, 2013**

The voices had quietened down by the time Souji awoke the next morning, but hearing them still made him feel slightly ill, so he tried to force himself back to sleep. His plan was  disrupted, however, when Nanako knocked on his door, asking about his well-being. He couldn't bring himself to lie to his younger cousin, so he told her that he needed a bit more time, and she understood.

Souji changed out of his clothes from the previous day, which had turned wrinkled from being soaked in rainwater, and put on a simple shirt and pants that he grabbed when he was in a rush to return to Inaba. He left the household after having breakfast together with Nanako, and walked around the peaceful town listlessly, holding up an opened umbrella when it turned out that it was still raining.

He had considered dropping by Junes to see how Yosuke was doing, but decided against it. He didn't want to impose on his good friend and disturb him when he was working, especially not after Yosuke had generously turned up for the funeral the day before. The same went for his other friends, who had taken the time out of their busy schedules to attend the wake of a stranger, just to show their support for him.

With no particular place in mind, Souji spent the morning in the shopping street while actively avoiding Tatsumi Textiles. He had found himself standing by the Moel gas station without him realising it, and once he did, he quickly walked away before a staff could approach him to ask if he was interested in a part-time job.

After that, Souji noticed a familiar eatery not too far away, and decided to head towards there. If there was a place he could go to without bumping into any of his friends or triggering any more memories of Hisano, it would be Aiya. At this time of the day, most of his friends would be working, and lunch break wasn't until a few hours later; Souji figured he could take this opportunity to take the Rainy Day Meat Bowl Challenge to while away the time.

Before he could step into Aiya, however, the adolescent felt his consciousness slowly slipping away. Feeling a sense of familiarity at the sensation, Souji took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and gave in.

When he next opened his eyes, he found himself in a familiar setting: an azure interior of a limousine that he came to know as the Velvet Room. Although he hadn't visited it in nearly over a year, he could tell that nothing in the room had changed; the wine glass and liquor were still where they were, the table with a blue tablecloth remained where it always was, and the lady with long, sandy blonde hair, dressed in blue from head to toe, was still sitting in her usual seat, her hands folded on the thick book in her lap. An old man with a hunched back and long nose sat behind the table next to the lady, his eyes closed while he had his chin on the back of his hands, with his elbows rested on the edge of the round table.

The woman turned to face him, her lips pulling into a thin, but warm, smile.

"It is so nice to see you again, dear guest."

Souji felt himself giving a nod back in response.

"Under normal circumstances, we should not be meeting you again in this manner. However, my master and I felt a shift in your subconscious last night, so we attempted to call you into this realm, but it appeared to have been in vain," Margaret explained, her voice carrying the same indifference and detachment Souji had grown used to. "Our condolences."

He figured that he must've had looked confused, as Margaret seemed to have noticed something and said, "Ah, yes, I believe my master and I have never explained to you. While we appear to be responsible for the management of the many Personas residing in your soul, our primary duty is to watch over you as a part of your subconscious. From the behaviour of your Personas, my master and I can detect any changes in your well-being. That is how we came to know of the news, dear guest."

She opened the book entitled Le Grimoire that was on her lap, stopping at a page that was printed with the picture of a card painted with a simple diagram of a skull. A similar card manifested before her, sparkling like a freshly polished diamond.

"The Death Arcana," Margaret murmured. Hearing the familiar term startled Souji a little, but he remained calm in spite of it. "Associated with change, renewal, and endings, the card symbolises a drastic change in your life. Though it may be a painful ordeal for you, it does not mean that it is the end of everything. Overcoming all obstacles, moving forward in spite of the grief you have experienced, growing stronger as a person...that is what the Death Arcana means."

The beautiful woman looked up from her book, giving Souji a warmer, slightly more sympathetic smile. "I believe that is a lesson you have learnt from her as well."

Souji casted his eyes downward, but said nothing.

"Though the time you spent with her was short, the bond that has been forged between you will always remain," Margaret continued, redirecting her golden eyes to the card floating before her. "Her appearance, words, and experience that she's shared with you...they will always reside within you as fond memories, as evidence of your bond. Even though she may have departed from your world, you will never lose your ties with her."

"Close your eyes, and listen carefully," Igor finally spoke, revealing bloodshot eyes as he stared at the grey-haired adolescent. "The voices of your Personas calling out to you... Can you hear them?"

Souji obeyed, and listened as intently as he could. Slowly, but surely, he could pick out the voices belonging to the Personas that had awakened within the depths of his soul when his relationship with Hisano was first established.

_"I am Death."_

Without realising it, Souji had taken a sharp breath at the first coherent sentence that echoed in his mind. Though the words were spoken by the Personas residing inside him, all Souji could hear was Hisano's voice.

_"...You mustn't become Death."_

He could see Hisano's image flashing before his eyes, her expression forlorn. Just like the time she told him those words.

_"When a person dies...the people who are left behind start to grieve, right?"_

It might have had been his imagination, but Souji could have sworn that he heard sorrowful murmurs coming from the Personas that were speaking to him.

_"If you don't know what you should hold dear, then your life is just a journey without a destination."_

Souji could imagine the horrible fog that once covered Inaba shrouding his vision and the limousine known as the Velvet Room driving towards nowhere.

_“Loving, being loved… All that is what goes into making us human.”_

He remembered the late widow staring into the river, her eyes clouded with tears as she read through the letters to her husband once more.

_“Thank you…”_

Souji kept his eyes closed.

 _'Ghoul... Mokoi... Matador... Samael...'_  The names of the Personas whispering to him resonated in his mind. _'Mot... White Rider... Alice...and...'_

Then one name stood out above all the rest, its owner mumbling gently to him, repeating the words that Hisano once said to him before she left Inaba. Subconsciously, Souji had raised his arms, covering both of his ears as he focused all his attention on that Persona and just that Persona alone.

_'Mahakala...'_

"...Yes, I can hear them," Souji said softly, smiling. He opened his eyes to see the familiar tarot cards lying on the table, face-down.

Igor seemed pleased. "Do not forget what they are saying," he said as he flipped a card to reveal the Death Arcana in its upright position. "Remember their words, keep them close to your heart. They will aid you through this period of time."

"I will," the eighteen-year-old replied politely. "Thank you."

"Do not forget that we will be watching over you as well," Margaret added, flashing yet another kind smile at him. "We wish you the best of luck."

Souji smiled back, then closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he was standing on the pavement in the shopping street, facing the ethereal, blue door in the wall in front of him.

Then he turned and walked in the direction of Aiya, taking out his phone and sending a message to his friends while doing so.

Moments later, most of the Investigation Team could be found gorging themselves, having fun and laughing among themselves, just like old times.

***

"It's been hard on you," Dojima said sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on Souji's shoulder when the latter returned home. "You sure you don't want to stay for the night? You can always take the train back tomorrow morning..."

"Yes, well..." the eighteen-year-old began awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't want to trouble you any further, I did come back without telling you in advance..."

His uncle frowned at his reply. "Who cares about that? I already told you, Souji, we're family. You're welcome to stay over as often and as long as you like. Nanako and I are happy to have you with us."

"But..."

"I'm not hearing any of that now. It's late anyway, and the weather forecast has predicted that there will be a thunderstorm approaching. It won't be safe for you. That settles it, alright?"

Souji gave in, smiling gently. "...Thank you, Oji-san."

Dojima smiled back. "Any time, Souji."

With that, the older man returned to his coffee and newspapers at the dinner table, while Souji walked up the staircase and entered his room. Though his initial intention had been to spend the  next few minutes packing everything quickly, the change in plans allowed for more free time, so he decided to take out the piece of paper he had written on the previous night, sit at the table and continue writing.

He removed the cover of the old fountain pen Hisano gave to him, and began finishing his note to the late widow. After a few minutes, he was done. Satisfied, he placed the cover back on, and read through the words he had written in the best handwriting he could attempt.

Just as he was about to pack away the note into his bag, Souji felt his cell phone vibrating against the desk. He picked it up and checked the caller ID, laughing softly to himself while shaking his head, and answered the call. "What's up, Yosuke?"

"Dude, you were supposed to leave _tonight_ and you didn't even tell us when we were with you just now? What the hell is up with that?" Yosuke sounded livid. Souji's smile widened.

"I guess Oji-san contacted you."

"Damn right he did. Souji, seriously, I get what you're thinking, but hasn't it crossed your mind who we are to you? We're your friends, partner. Do you seriously think we care about all that?"

 _'Doesn't that sound familiar now,'_ Souji mused.

"Yosuke," the eighteen-year-old replied casually. "It's fine now. I'll only be leaving tomorrow morning."

There were sounds of someone shuffling his feet, making Souji wonder whether the brunet was out at the moment. "Yeah, I know. Your uncle told me over the phone. I'm just...calling to tell you off for not telling us in the first place."

"...I'm sorry."

"No, dude, don't apologise--argh, I didn't call to hear something like that from you." Yosuke paused then. Souji could just imagine the look of frustration painted on his partner's face; it made him chuckle, which didn't go unnoticed by the other person on the phone with him. "...You're trying to imagine my expression right now, aren't you? Very funny, partner. I must look like an idiot in your head."

Though the tone was sarcastic, Souji still couldn't stop himself from apologising, which earned him an exasperated sigh on the other end of the line.

"Anyway, what're you doing now, since you're not leaving tonight?"

"The same thing you're doing now," came the rather cheeky reply.

"The same--Dude, is it just me or did you grow a funny bone after moving back to the city?"

"People don't grow funny bones, Yosuke."

"Oh shuddup."

Souji laughed, and a few seconds later, he heard Yosuke joining him.

"Seriously, now..." Yosuke began again, taking deep breaths to calm himself down after the random bout of laughter. "How has life been, back in the city? All I know is that you studied at some prestigious high school and managed to pass the national examinations with flying colours. Awesome job, by the way."

Souji chuckled again. "Thanks. Well, it's been okay, I suppose...but it really isn't the same as living in Inaba."

"Heh, I thought so. Missed us that much, huh?"

"Yeah..."

There was the light shuffling again, which made Souji glance down from his window to see if a familiar brunet was standing there. Fortunately, he found nobody by the doorstep; if Yosuke had really been outside the Dojima residence all this while with a storm brewing, it would be Souji's turn to reprimand his friend instead.

Then, he finally heard Yosuke's voice again, after a pregnant pause. "I wonder if it'll be the same for me..."

Souji blinked. "Huh?"

"Ahh, well... How should I put this..." Souji now imagined Yosuke scratching the back of his head, trying to avoid his gaze. "By some sort of miracle, I got a good enough score on the national examinations, so I'm going to attend university in the city, too. I'm...leaving this town. Tomorrow. With you."

"Oh, wow... That's great, Yosuke!" he replied, a little more excitedly than he had expected. After remembering what his friend had mentioned earlier, he calmed down, and continued, gently, "Ah, but you sound worried. Afraid you'll miss Teddie and the others here?"

 _'I know I did,'_ went unspoken, but it didn't need to be said.

"Sort of," Yosuke replied, sounding a bit uncomfortable with the situation. "I don't know if this is really what I want... I'm a little afraid to find out, to be honest."

"It'll all work out in the end," Souji said encouragingly, speaking from his own experience.

The brunet sighed. "I really hope so, dude. Wish you could still be there with me, though, but knowing you, you've probably gone and applied to a Medicine course in the University of Tokyo or something."

"Psychology, actually," Souji corrected. Then he laughed quietly. "And no, I didn't apply to the University of Tokyo."

"Huh, that's surprising. Why?"

"No particular reason, really. It's just that there's another university near where I live now, and it is affiliated with the high school I graduated from, so...why not?"

Yosuke laughed into the phone. "You are one weird dude, alright. Which university is it?"

"Raira University."

Immediately after Souji said that, he heard something shatter on the other end of the line.

***

The storm ended in the middle of the night.

With most of the city sound asleep despite the flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, barely anybody noticed when the thunderstorm was over.

For the same reason, nobody realised it when the city was enveloped in a thick fog once the storm ended.

As the hours would slowly tick by and the dawn of a new day approached, most of the people living in the city would still remain asleep, for the day was a Sunday, a day of rest for them.

Not for all, of course. There were a handful of people who would wake up at the crack of dawn, as usual, and brush their teeth and eat breakfast before heading out for a walk around the quiet town, which would soon undergo a transformation into a bustling, lively city within a few hours.

They would be undeterred by the mist, which would have yet to clear up even as the sun began to rise. While it was certainly unusual to have such dense fog, it was not an impediment to their daily morning exercise. It would still, as far as they knew then, be an ordinary Sunday morning.

But it would be another tale altogether for a particular man.

***

That night, Souji dreamt.


	3. April 14 2013, Morning

**April 14, 2013**

Souji was dragged back to the waking world by a familiar ringtone. Groggily, he checked the time on his alarm clock, and moaned when he saw that it was only five in the morning. Turning over to lie down on his left side, the grey-haired adolescent reached to grab his vibrating cell phone on the table, and answered the call without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Yosuke...if this is your idea of a late April Fool's Day joke, I'm not laughing."

To his surprise, his reply came in the form of a feminine chuckle, as opposed to a groan from his friend as he initially expected. The embarrassing realisation caused him to snap out of his sleepiness entirely as he bolted upright, holding the phone tightly in his hand.

"I apologise for waking you up," the voice continued bemusedly. "As permanent residents of the Velvet Room, the concept of time is irrelevant to us, I'm afraid."

"Ah, no...it's fine, really. Is...there something you need to tell me?"

"Indeed there is." Margaret's tone became sharp and detached, setting Souji on edge. "I hope you recall the events that took place during your brief return last year."

The eighteen-year-old gave no verbal affirmation, but the blonde continued anyway, "While there has been minimal disturbance since then, my master has been seeking guidance from the cards in preparation for a similar occurrence. After our recent meeting with you yesterday, my master consulted the cards once again. Following that, he instructed me to pass you his findings."

Souji's grip on the phone tightened. He couldn't help but feel slightly more anxious after hearing what Margaret had said, and wondered if it was because of her indifferent, formal tone of voice, or if it was because his gut instinct was telling him that he wasn't about to like what he was about to hear.

In the end he decided that it was probably both, and left it at that. Paying closer attention to Margaret's words took precedence over the reason behind him feeling oddly unsettled, after all.

Taking his silence as her cue to continue, Margaret spoke, "The cards have foretold an imminent disaster about to strike as you depart from this place and return to where you came from. Or to be more precise...that unfortunate event has already happened."

Souji stiffened, but said nothing.

"You will face helplessness and despair," Igor's assistant went on to say. "At times, you may consider giving up out of desperation. But rest assured that there will always be hope, regardless of the circumstances you will be in. It will not mark the end of your journey, but rather strengthen and encourage you as your journey continues. That is what my master has to say."

"...I understand. Thank you, Margaret."

There was a slight pause before the blonde added, "Remember my words, as well as those of my master's, dear guest. Until next time, then."

Then the conversation ended.

Souji placed his cell phone back on the table, and checked the clock. Seeing that the call had been less than ten minutes long, the grey-haired adolescent decided to lie back down and take a quick nap. His train ride wasn't until three hours later, and he was already all packed and ready, so he figured that it wouldn't hurt to get some shut-eye until then.

However, Margaret's words kept him awake. Now that she had said all that she had been told to say, Souji was left alone with his own thoughts. The feeling of unease was still there, refusing to leave no matter how hard Souji tried to convince himself that things would turn out alright in the end. It made him consider the possibility that there was something else Margaret, and by extension Igor, wasn't telling him.

While the Velvet Room and its inhabitants were evidently shrouded in mystery, there was no denying the fact that they had played a pivotal role in solving the murders that happened two years back, even going as far as handing him an item that dispelled away the false image of Izanami to reveal the true horrors lurking beneath the shed skin.

Igor and Margaret had granted him the ability to summon and fuse multiple Personas, the lack of which would certainly have spelled death for not only himself, but also his friends whenever they were in a pinch during battle. Although he wasn't over-reliant on the Personas aside from Izanagi, Souji had to admit that there was only so much Izanagi could do, compared to the Personas of his friends, and the only way to make up for Izanagi's shortcomings was to use the other Personas he had at his disposal.

Despite all that, however, there was no denying that Igor and Margaret, as well as the Velvet Room itself, remained largely as an enigma to him, and for some reason, Souji didn't mind that. He never once expressed the desire to learn more; perhaps because he could trust them with his life, he never felt the need to know more than what he already did. Having the Velvet Room and Igor and Margaret's services readily available to him was enough.

So if it turned out that they really were hiding something from him, Souji wouldn't think much of it, since it was probably for the best if he was kept in the dark until they felt the need to tell him everything he needed to know. His friends would most likely disagree, though, after having had experienced the arduous journey of seeking the truth together with him. It was ironic, but he figured he could make an exception.

Still, the eighteen-year-old couldn't shake off the mild sense of dread. There was something waiting for him back in Ikebukuro, and intuition told him that it was most likely a repeat of what Inaba had to go through. The ominous feeling only intensified at that thought.

Grabbing his phone again, Souji quickly checked the online news for any recent strange occurrences in Ikebukuro, but all that came up were old articles about the Slasher incidents and the Headless Rider. Heaving a sigh of relief, he put his phone away and continued staring at the ceiling.

Memories of his first day arriving and setting down in Ikebukuro filled his mind. Souji remembered an encounter with a traffic policeman wearing a red scarf who warned him about the Headless Rider. The grey-haired adolescent had thanked the policeman, but a part of him was still feeling a little incredulous at the possibility of a headless yet living person existing in real life.

Then he was informed about the Slasher incidents and how they had caused a stir in the city about half a year prior to his arrival in Ikebukuro. It piqued Souji's interest to some extent, and Naoto's as well when she learned of it through her grandfather, so occasionally he sent some readings over for her to analyse and ponder over.

Incidentally, Naoto was assigned to the case not long after Souji's last visit to Inaba during his summer holiday, when there was yet another report of someone being slashed, so there were times when he would bump into her. But with the period of lending her assistance short-lived, she was soon going around the country solving cases before Souji even realised it.

Then, there was Raira Academy. It was quite a nice school, equipped with facilities that were certainly of higher quality than those at Yasogami High. However, Souji would still have chosen to complete his high school education at Inaba instead of Ikebukuro, if he had a say in the matter. While Raira Academy had its fair share of friendly teachers, somehow Souji missed Ms Sofue with rather interesting choice of fashion and Mr Hosoi with his hand puppet, among other things. There was even a small part of him that missed Ms Kashiwagi, just a little though.

Aside from school and Ikebukuro's mysteries, there were the colour gangs, too, but they had been so inactive that Souji questioned their current existence. Whatever they were, he wanted no part in the matter, so when he received a strange email containing a link and a password to the official website of what he presumed to be one of the colour gangs, he sent it to the trash folder without hesitation. The sender's email address was also unregistered in his contacts, further justifying his decision.

Occasionally Souji would also notice some misplaced and horribly damaged vending machines, stop signs, and other heavy-looking objects scattered around the city. He was told by some residents that it was all the work of one man named Heiwajima Shizuo, and they warned him to stay away from the man. If he had to be honest, though, Souji still couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that this Heiwajima-san could lift all of those things singlehandedly. After all, it was impossible, but then again Satonaka could achieve many unimaginable feats using her Galactic Punt, so Souji eventually shrugged it off.

All of this, and perhaps a little more, Souji had spilled it out to Yosuke over the phone the previous night.

The brunet sounded ecstatic after getting over his initial shock upon learning that Souji was attending the same university as he. Although they weren't taking the same course - Souji was mainly pursuing Psychology, while Yosuke applied for Statistics - simply being schoolmates again was enough for the both of them.

Souji would never forget the traces of euphoria in Yosuke's surprised cries of "Dudedudedude are you serious?!" when the grey-haired adolescent offered his best friend a place to stay in the form of his apartment. It was amusing, to say the least.

Just as his eyelids were beginning to droop after having lied back down on his futon for quite some time, his plan to take a quick nap fell through when he heard his alarm clock ring. He switched the alarm off, checking the time. Seven in the morning. The realisation made him raise an eyebrow.

Souji stood up and stretched. Then he headed for the bathroom, and completed the usual morning business. When he returned to his room, he sat between his bag and the table, reaching out to remove the note he had finished writing the previous night. After reading it through once more, Souji smiled and then folded the note gently before keeping it in a small compartment of his bag.

There was a knock on his door and a call for breakfast from Nanako that followed. Souji promptly went down the stairs, with Nanako's hand in his, and enjoyed his last meal at the Dojima household.

***

Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji were already waiting at the station when Souji arrived.

He was surprised to see Chie carrying a large travelling bag with her, and was about to ask about it until he remembered that the chestnut brown-haired adolescent had once told him, through the group chatroom, that she had been accepted by the National Police Academy in Tokyo. That would explain why there were two other strangers who shared some degree of similarity to Chie standing near them; they were most likely Satonaka's parents.

On the other hand, Yukiko was staying in Inaba, preparing to take over management of her family inn. While Amagi performed relatively well for her examinations, she had long decided to remain in her hometown, a decision she arrived at thanks to Souji for always being there to support her. College life outside of Inaba was something she once dreamed of having, but Yukiko was happy enough to be surrounded by people who loved her, so she had let go of that dream willingly.

Kanji, too, decided to stay in Inaba to help out at Tatsumi Textiles as well as take care of his elderly mother. Apparently, his dolls were a big hit, so he was quite tied up with his work at his mother's shop, coupled with heavy workload from school, and had little time to think about venturing beyond the quite little town.

Smiling warmly, Souji joined his friends and greeted them.

"Ah, Seta-kun! Good morning," Yukiko replied happily. He could tell that she was trying a little too hard to be cheerful, though, and wondered if it was because three of her closest friends were leaving on that day. "Are you all right? I know it hasn't been easy for you, coming all the way out here when university is starting soon..."

"I'm fine, thanks for the concern."

"Um...I don't know if it's appropriate for me to be asking this, but...who exactly...?"

"...Ah," Souji breathed, before smiling fondly at the faint memory of a widow, dressed in black from head to toe, resurfacing in his mind. "Kuroda Hisano-san. She used to live here with her husband, but after he passed away, she left to live with her children. I met her during my part-time work at the hospital."

"So you used to talk to her often, huh?" Chie asked, looking rather solemn. "Wait, did you say 'hospital'? Then..."

"...I never asked, but I guess so."

"That's so sad..." Yukiko spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It was a difficult period of time for her," Souji agreed, trying not to reveal too much out of respect for the late widow.

"Well, at least you were there, Senpai," Kanji added, hiding his grimace at the sound of hospitals and death. "Got someone to spill all her feelings to, y'know. S'not all that bad, then. I'm sure she was always happy to see ya."

The silver-haired adolescent laughed softly; Kanji had a knack for being uncannily astute at times. "Yeah, she was."

Before anyone else could say more, Yosuke and Teddie chose that very moment to turn up at the train station. There were two more strangers following them.

"Ah, see? Everyone's there already! Stupid bear, it's all your fault for waking up so late!" Yosuke exclaimed exasperatedly, dragging his luggage while aforementioned bear sat comfortably on it, as if he were riding a horse. "And get your lazy ass off! You're freakishly heavy!"

"Am not!” the blond retorted childishly, making a face which didn't seem humanly possible to make. "I don't weigh much, remember? That check-up Nao-chan arranged proves it. You just put in too much stuff in this box of yours, Yosuke."

"For the last time, it's not a box," the brunet sighed, shaking his head. "You know what? Forget it. You're too dumb to remember what I say."

Teddie pouted. "Yosuke's so mean today..."

"Don't be so hard on him, dear. It's not like he means it," the middle-aged lady walking behind the pair mediated.

"...Yeah. Yeah I know, Mom," the brunet sighed once again, while Teddie's eyes sparkled with tears of joy at the kindness that Yosuke's mother had shown him.

"Okay, your Mom and I will be discussing a few things with Dojima-san and Satonaka-san now. You can go and talk to your friends a bit. We won't be long," the manager of Junes said curtly, in a business-like manner.

His son waved him off lazily, then dragged his luggage and the blond on top of it as he trudged over to join the rest of the team. Chie had a mischievous grin plastered all over her face while the others remained relatively expressionless.

"Well now, look who's finally here. It's Hanamura I-don't-give-a-damn-about-university-but-I-got-in-anyway-and-now-I-don't-care-if-I'm-late Yosuke!"

Yosuke groaned. "Seriously, Satonaka?"

"'Seriously' my foot!" Chie suddenly snapped, giving the brunet a harsh kick to the stomach. It sent him collapsing to his knees as he rubbed the afflicted area. "What the heck were you doing?! Any longer, and you would have missed the train! Do you seriously _want_ to be late on your first day of university?'

"...What...the hell..." Hanamura gasped out in pain, clutching his stomach as he attempted, and failed, to push himself off the bitingly cold ground. "F-for the r-record, Satonaka...university only starts t-tomorrow... As long as Souji and I get there before then..."

"Yes, but don't you need time to settle down in the new area?" Yukiko asked before Chie could deal any more damage to the brunet grovelling at her feet.

At this point, Yosuke had recovered from the pain, somewhat, so he forced himself to stand. "Ugh, no need for that anyway. Souji, ouch, already told me everything I need to know about Ikebukuro. We'll settle in just fine. Right, partner?"

The answer to his question came in the form of a lighthearted shrug from the grey-haired adolescent.

"Woah, hang on. You mean you're gonna be attending the same university as Seta-kun?" Chie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ain't Senpai going to the University of Tokyo or some other top university or something?" Kanji turned to look at Souji as he spoke.

"Why does everybody think so highly of me?" Souji chuckled. "No, I'm going to Raira University."

"And I'm telling you, dude, I still can't get it through my head, no matter how many times I hear that," Yosuke muttered as he shook his head disbelievingly.

Teddie was beaming, for some strange reason, and making up a catchy little jingle about Raira on the spot. It took a few more exchanges between the other members of the Investigation Team before Yosuke finally snapped and demanded for the blond to stop singing. And as usual, it fell on deaf ears as Teddie continued entertaining himself, much to the brunet's chagrin.

Then there was a call from Yosuke's father, reminding the adolescents about the time. Teddie promptly stopped singing, and enthusiastically suggested a group hug.

"...Just this once," Chie agreed, grimacing at the thought of giving the other three males a gesture that she deemed as overly affectionate. Yukiko nodded, though sharing her best friend's reluctance.

The six of them formed a circle, then awkwardly cuddled together, wrapping their arms around each other. The clumsy hug lasted for a few seconds before Amagi mustered up the courage to say that it felt too long for her liking, and the group quickly separated from one another.

"The train is here," came a light, tenor voice. Chie thanked the heavens for her father's impeccable timing.

"...Well, I'll see you around, Yukiko," the police trainee murmured to her friend. reaching out to hold Yukiko's hands.

"...Take care, Chie."

The chestnut brown-haired teen nodded as she wiped the tears away from Yukiko's midnight black eyes. Then the raven-haired manager-in-training quickly tugged her trembling hands away from Chie's own and pulled her childhood friend into an embrace before Chie did the same. The girls quietly sobbed into each other's shoulder.

Watching such a tearful scene unfold before his eyes made Teddie weep. Without hesitation, the blond leapt into Yosuke's arms before the brunet could oppose, pushing him down to the ground.

"What the _hell_ , Teddie--"

Hearing the muffled sniffles, Yosuke stopped himself. After a brief moment, he sighed and raised an arm to stroke the blond's back comfortingly. Souji knelt down and mimicked his partner's actions while Kanji scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to do.

"...C'mon, Teds, you're getting my shirt all wet."

"Yo-Yo-Yosukeeeee..." Teddie continued to sob into the brunet's chest, grabbing a fistful of Yosuke's orange shirt.

"It's not like we're not gonna see each other anymore. I'll come back to visit whenever there's a holiday, I promise."

"Sniff... First it was Sensei, then Rise-chan, and then it was Nao-chan, and now it's you and Chie-chan... You're all leaving Teddie alone..."

Souji couldn't help but flinch. "We're not leaving you alone, Teddie."

"Yeah, me an' Amagi-senpai will still be here," Kanji added assuringly, kneeling down to place a comforting hand on Teddie's shoulder. "You still have us. And everyone will be back before you know it! Trust me!"

Teddie glanced up to look at Kanji, revealing his tear-streaked face and running nose. "Kanjiiii...!" he cried as he pounced on the bespectacled adolescent.

"W-woah there, it's okay." Kanji didn't know what else to do so he settled for an awkward stroke on the weeping Shadow's back.

Yosuke got up from the ground, tidying himself. He was about to make a sarcastic statement about the condition his shirt was in when he heard his father calling out to him sternly, warning him about missing the train. So instead, the brunet sighed and grabbed the handle of his luggage.

"We gotta go, I guess," he said, using an indifferent tone to mask the turmoil of emotions he was currently experiencing.

Souji nodded, and turned to walk towards his uncle and cousin to bid them farewell before he boarded the train. Before he could say a word, Nanako had rushed in to cling onto his waist, burying her face into his shirt. Slightly surprised at the gesture, Souji could only run his hand through her chocolate brown hair, as soothingly as he could.

"I'll miss you, Onii-chan."

The statement was made quietly and carefully, with each and every word making a stab at Souji's heart, like always. His stroking motion paused, for just a split second, before it resumed, then the adolescent bent over to plant a light kiss on Nanako's head. Now it was the young girl's turn to be surprised, but she didn't mind it. Instead she buried her face into his shirt even more deeply than before, anxious to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"I'll miss you too," Souji whispered. "I'll try my best to take the time out to come visit, okay?"

He felt her nod, then smiled gently.

"Come on, Nanako. Souji needs to get onto the train now."

Reluctantly, the eight-year-old released her hold on her cousin's waist, taking a few steps back to her father. Souji's eyes met Dojima's, then the detective gave a brief nod and a wave. Souji nodded back.

"Seta-kun."

The grey-haired adolescent turned towards the voice, facing an evidently upset Yukiko. She had her eyes on the ground with her hands folded in front of her, looking exactly like a humble services lady, the kind that bowed and apologised repeatedly for the most minor of mistakes. In just that short moment, Souji thought Yukiko appeared so much more mature and graceful than at any other time he had known her.

"It feels so surreal to be saying goodbye to you again like this," the future manager of the Amagi Inn said softly, unable to peel her eyes away from the ground. "It's like you never really left all this time..."

"Amagi," Souji felt the need to cut her off, knowing that Yukiko was forcing herself to go through with the painful process of farewells. "We'll keep in touch. I promise."

Yukiko immediately glanced up, staring into her former classmate's warm, grey eyes. Then she nodded and mumbled a quiet "Un" as she looked away.

"Take care of Amagi and Teddie, Kanji."

The Third Year at Yasogami High gave Souji a confident smirk. "You can count on me, Senpai."

Souji smiled back before he turned and stepped into the train along with Yosuke and Chie. Slowly, the others present at the station, which included the Hanamuras and the Satonakas, as well as Dojima, Nanako, and the three members of the Investigation Team remaining in Inaba, gathered near the train. They waved and bid their farewells as the doors to the train closed.

Then they stood at the station, watching as the train departed into the distance, not moving until the train was completely out of sight.

***

On the train, Souji and Yosuke had taken up the window seats while Chie had decided to sit in front of the pair. The Bruce Lee fan was enjoying some martial arts videos in her smartphone, occasionally trying out some of the moves herself when the train attendants weren't noticing. Yosuke had his headphones on, lightly tapping his feet while listening to some rock music. Souji, on the other hand, was fast asleep.

There was a slight bump as the train continued on its journey, stirring the grey-haired adolescent awake. He rubbed his eyes and groaned a little, not too pleased to have his sleep disturbed since he was already sleep-deprived in the first place.

Souji decided to stare at the patch of mucus and tears that stained Yosuke's one of many orange v-neck shirts until his eyelids grew heavy, allowing him to drift into sleep once more. However, just as he was about to fall into a slumber, the eighteen-year-old saw something sticking out from one of the pockets of Yosuke's white coat, then he grinned and was wide awake once again.

He tapped his friend on the shoulder, causing Yosuke to jolt slightly before he paused his music and pushed the headphones down to let them rest on his neck. "What's up, partner?"

"You didn't have to be so mean to Teddie, you know," Souji said playfully, the grin still plastered on his face.

"Huh? Why are you bringing up Teddie for no reason?"

"Well, you miss him, right?"

Yosuke choked. "Yeah, right. As if I miss some stupid bear who always oversleeps, hogs the bathroom every morning, turns up late for his shifts, asks dumb questions...just being annoying in general."

Souji simply hummed.

"...Dude, I don't miss him."

"Really, now. Then I guess that Teddie doll you have there was a figment of my imagination."

"T-Teddie doll?" Yosuke gulped, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Ha, haha, yeah, you're imagining things, partner. There's no way I'd have something like a Teddie doll."

"Ooh, Hanamura's a liar," Chie added, joining in the conversation as she looked at her former classmates over the top of her seat. "You got Kanji-kun to make that doll for you. I overheard the two of you talking about it."

Souji chuckled at the sight of a flustered Yosuke. "What the--Satonaka, you eavesdropper! Don't you have any clue what privacy is?!" Chie just rolled her eyes at the accusation.

"So, not gonna deny about the doll, I see," Souji quipped, earning him yet another flush from the brunet.

"...Shut up," Yosuke muttered, placing his headphones back on.

Chie snickered. "And you haven't complained about having bear snot all over--"

"Seriously, guys, _shut up_."

Souji and Chie gave each other a hi-five.


	4. April 14 2013, Afternoon

**April 14, 2013**

The journey to Tokyo had been rather uneventful, aside from Souji and Chie's teasing of Yosuke and his Teddie doll. For the rest of the train ride, Yosuke listened to his music, taking a few quick naps in between. Once Chie had exhausted all of the videos she had on her phone, she performed some stretching exercises and stayed perfectly awake. In contrast, Souji was completely dead to the world as his body rested as much as possible.

When the train finally reached Tokyo, it was Chie's turn to bid her two former schoolmates farewell. They did the same, all three of them doing so reluctantly. Then, grabbing her large travelling bag, the chestnut brown-haired girl turned towards the opposite direction and began walking to catch the next train to Fuchushi, Asahi-cho. Souji and Yosuke took all their belongings and headed for the train that would take them to Ikebukuro.

Unlike the journey from Inaba to Tokyo, the ride to Ikebukuro was much shorter and quicker, so Souji and Yosuke didn't mind standing, even with all of their bulky luggage. The brunet then followed his grey-haired companion like a duckling would its mother out of the Tokyo Metro Line station and into the streets, feeling completely and utterly at a loss despite the fact that he was born and raised in a city like Souji was.

"My apartment isn't too far from here." Yosuke was extremely relieved to hear that, and quickly followed his friend as he made a left turn and started walking.

The brunet took this opportunity to have a closer look at his surroundings. Although it was rather late into the afternoon, the streets were still teeming with people from all walks of life, taking brisk steps wherever they went. Nobody paid attention to the pair of former high school students carrying around large bags and luggage, which was a stark contrast to how the townspeople of Inaba would react, as Yosuke envisioned it.

There were rather few vehicles out on the road, he realised. Despite Ikebukuro being an urbanised area, there was a lot of greenery around, just as Yosuke expected after having led a life as a Tokyo city boy once. As he continued looking around, he noticed some large shopping malls, and grew excited at seeing such large buildings that _weren't_ Junes-affiliated again.

While he had been to Okina City at times, its vibrancy paled in comparison to that of highly developed places like Ikebukuro and Shibuya, the latter being Yosuke's former place of residence. He had probably dropped by Ikebukuro before, but inevitably, after having lived in a rural town like Inaba whose shopping district initially gravely disappointed the brunet for two years, Yosuke had grown used to seeing small buildings as opposed to the towering complexes that filled Ikebukuro. The experience was reinvigorating, he had to admit.

"We're here." Souji's tired voice interrupted Yosuke's train of thought. The grey-haired adolescent gestured to the elevator. "Remember to get off on the eighth floor from now on, that's where we live."

The brunet nodded enthusiastically as he shoved his luggage into the spacey lift when it arrived. Souji pressed the button for the eighth floor, then, seeing that there was nobody else coming in, pressed the button for closing the door. Upon reaching the eighth floor, Souji grabbed his keys from his pocket and opened the front door leading into his apartment.

It was quite spacey, even with the sofa, dining table, and plasma television set all placed in the living room. The kitchen was compact, but large enough for all the basic cooking tools and plates and bowls of varying sizes. The apartment only had two rooms, other than the living room and the kitchen. One of them had an interior that looked exactly like a replica of Souji's room back in Inaba, even the tiny television set was there. While the bookshelf contained reading material for the psychology course in university, among other books like novels and encyclopaedias, Yosuke could tell that the model was the same as the one Souji had in his room in the Dojima residence.

"...Souji, this is..."

"Oh." Souji rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "It was supposed to be a storeroom, but I didn't have much to store anyway and I didn't want to see this room go to waste, so..."

"Don't lie, dude. You're horrible at that." Yosuke's gaze was hard and questioning, making the grey-haired adolescent slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, it really _was_ a storeroom. I just changed the interior to make it look like my room in Oji-san's home." Yosuke didn't stop staring. Souji cringed and continued, "...because I really missed it."

The brunet's gaze softened instantly. "Yeah...I just wanted to hear you say it."

Souji's smile was warm and gentle. "I know. Thanks, Yosuke. I do feel better after admitting it."

"Everything's better after you admit something." As he said that, the brunet tossed his best friend a knowing wink. "So. Where's my room, partner?"

"Ah," the grey-haired adolescent mumbled. He turned to face the closed door directly opposite of his room and made a gesture to it using his thumb. "This is it.  Oh, wait--"

His words fell on deaf ears as Yosuke happily barged into the room that now belonged to him. Then the brunet examined his new room carefully. He found that it was smaller than he initially expected, but it was still perfectly fine with him as he could still find some space to place a new bookshelf and a cabinet to store his music collection. There was already a single-sized bed, its horizontal left side embedded in the wall, placed. It wasn't fitted with a bedsheet just yet, exposing the mattress to the stale air in the room.

There was a simple study desk by the window; Yosuke didn't really pay attention to whether the design was to his liking since he never once considered himself a studying sort of person. The desk was empty, and looked relatively new, compared to the other furniture. It made the brunet wonder if Souji was actually half-expecting him to come and stay in the apartment.

"My parents recently bought that desk for me," Souji spoke up, folding his arms as he leaned against the edge of the wall casually. Yosuke flinched slightly, inwardly blaming himself for being too transparent. Souji smiled at that. "Luckily I didn't say no, otherwise you would have been stuck without a table."

Yosuke snorted. "Dude, you know that I don't study."

"Oh you don't? Well, okay, I'll call up my parents and tell them not to buy an extra bookshelf then."

"Waitwaitwait I meant that I _didn't_ study. Didn't. Not don't."

Souji's smirk widened. He had a vague idea of what Yosuke needed a bookshelf for, and he knew from spending a year in Inaba with him that Yosuke could be considered a rather frugal person as he had to save up in order to afford to buy himself a motorcycle. After the brunet was forced to pay for Teddie's expensive clothes and had to cough up the money to pay for his scooter's repairs, saving up became a necessity instead of a habit for Yosuke.

After putting two and two together, Souji deduced that even though Yosuke wanted a bookshelf, the latter had to refrain from overspending, and given that he was forced to pay for his own tuition fees, there was no doubt that Yosuke wouldn't fork out the cash to get himself a bookshelf. So if he could get it for free, there was no way Yosuke would turn that down. Based on his own experience as the leader of the Investigation Team, Souji could empathise with his partner to a certain extent.

Said brunet, however, hadn't the faintest idea of what Souji had experienced. While he marvelled at how skilful the leader of the team was with his finances, Yosuke never pondered about exactly how Souji could splurge on weapons and armour and still had enough money left to go shopping at the Shiroku Store. He simply took it as a personality trait of their leader's and left it at that.

"Though that reminds me..." Yosuke spoke up after the brief moment of silence, which the two spent reminiscing about the past. When Souji gave a quick nod, the brunet continued, "If you are getting your parents to buy an extra bookshelf, does that mean that they bought you all that stuff in your room? And wait, doesn't that also mean that they know somebody else is living with you?"

The grey-haired adolescent shrugged. "My parents don't question what I do. They believe I'm independent enough to make sound decisions, so no, they don't know that you're living together with me now."

"Wow," Yosuke whistled, his eyebrows raised. "If it were _my_ parents, they'd constantly worry about me. I mean, I'm not as responsible as you are. Dad always complains about how much of a spendthrift I can be."

That got Souji's full attention. "You, a spendthrift?" If anything, Yosuke was more of an overly frugal housewife, but of course, the grey-haired eighteen-year-old knew better than to say that in the presence of his partner.

"Hehe, I, uh, can get a little crazy when it comes to...you know, magazines and stuff like that?" Although the brunet sounded sheepish, he tossed his friend a knowing wink, perhaps in hopes of the other making some kind of follow-up.

Unfortunately for him, Souji looked unamused. "Magazines," he had deadpanned. "Yosuke, you sound like a girl."

It was extremely entertaining to see the brunet choke and get flustered over an honest comment. "W-what the...dude, I meant _that_ kind of magazines, not those fashion stuff girls like to go cooing over."

"Ohhh," Souji muttered, realising his mistake. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Huh, but haven't your parents already learned about the magazines you own? I don't think it's a good idea to keep buying them if there's a higher chance now that they could suspect you of spending on such...reading material."

"Ugh, don't remind me of that time. I still haven't quite forgiven Teddie for what he did," Yosuke moaned, wincing slightly. "Anyway, I think I can manage. They haven't mentioned the incident for a long time. Maybe they've forgotten about it already!"

The brunet's optimism made Souji chuckle. "Well, magazine maniac, I hope you haven't forgotten about lunch."

"Oh crap, I seriously forgot about that! H-hehe." Yosuke scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "So, uh...whatcha got here that we can eat for lunch?"

"Nothing."

"...Huh?"

"We," Souji declared as he took the opportunity while Yosuke was stunned to grab his jacket and put it on. "Are eating out."

"You mean there's nothing we can eat here? Why? I mean...don't you always make your own bento for lunch every day? You gotta have _some_ ingredients in the fridge or something."

The incredulous look on Yosuke's face was, in Souji's opinion, extremely amusing; the brunet himself, however, found his partner's laugh that followed slightly offensive. "Oh hey, it's not like I knew beforehand if you had anything to cook with here," the brown-haired adolescent quickly explained.

"It's not that, Yosuke," Souji replied, smiling. "I do have some ingredients left, but they're definitely not enough to feed the two of us here, so I thought we might as well eat out and then we can go grocery shopping later. I already reserved us some seats at the restaurant."

"...Oh. Ohhhhh." The brunet shook his head to distract himself from the heat rising to his face in embarrassment. "You're always one step ahead, partner. I didn't even notice you making a call to make reservations."

"Ah, that happened along the way to my apartment. You seemed a little distracted, so maybe that's why," the grey-haired adolescent said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Yosuke gave a nervous chuckle. "Coming back to the big city is a bit overwhelming for me, I guess. I mean, I never thought I'd be coming back, since...there's not much left for me here."

The pause didn't go unnoticed, Yosuke knew that, so he was immensely grateful for Souji not saying anything further about the matter and switching to the subject of their meal at hand. It was certainly an urgent matter to handle; empty stomachs couldn't possibly wait any longer, after all, though if the leader of the Investigation Team hadn't mentioned it, Yosuke figured he probably wouldn't have felt any hunger till it was dinner time.

Their lunch was supposed to start soon, which got the pair - mostly Yosuke, actually - hurrying a little, grabbing some of their belongings and windbreakers as they prepared to leave the apartment. Although there would be little time left for them to unpack and get themselves geared up for the start of university when they would be back, Souji told Yosuke comfortingly that there was no need to rush, and that it would still be possible to make it, which did put the brunet at ease as he put on his shoes. He wasn't surprised to see his partner all ready after he was done.

The brunet took a deep breath. He used that moment as an attempt to calm himself down as he grew excited yet scared at the prospect of seeing the city once again; Yosuke didn't think he would feel so mentally unprepared to take in the sight of grand urbanisation despite having lived in a metropolis for most of his life. It was ironic, he realised. After all, how could a city boy be afraid of the city?

But that was exactly the situation Yosuke found himself in, and he had no idea how to crawl his way out. As he released the breath he had been holding, Yosuke faintly wondered if Souji was trapped in similar circumstances when he returned to Tokyo in March of the preceding year, and if he would know how to inch back into the life of a young adult living in a highly developed area. He made a mental note to himself to ask his partner over lunch.

Feeling ready to lay his eyes on Ikebukuro again, Yosuke stood up and gave Souji a firm nod. The grey-haired adolescent smiled and nodded back, before he got up as well and turned to open the front gate. At that very moment, the brunet heard something click, which Souji didn't appear to notice, so out of curiosity, Yosuke glanced around. It wasn't long before he found something lying on the floor tile, presumably the source of the clicking sound.

It was an old-looking pen, coated in midnight black with patterns of cherry blossoms dancing all over it. The tip of the pen was exposed and slightly stained with ivory ink, leading Yosuke to believe it to be a fountain pen that fell from a height. While staring at it confusedly, Yosuke bent down to pick up the pen. He felt its lightweight trickling his palm, like a leaf floating across the surface of water. It was quite an exquisite pen.

"Hey Souji, did you drop this?" Yosuke asked, holding up the pen between his index and middle finger on his right hand.

Souji craned his neck over his shoulder, taking a careful look at the object in Yosuke's hand, then turned completely to walk up towards the brunet to retrieve his item. "Thanks Yosuke, it must have fallen out of my pocket."

The brunet laughed. "Well, be careful with it from now on, partner. It looks like it's really important to you, if you are still keeping such an old fountain pen. Here ya go," he said cheerfully with a playful wink as he stretched out his hand to place the pen in Souji's open palm.

At the instant Yosuke's hand made contact with Souji's skin, a shiver trailed down the brunet's spine. In that split second, he also heard some violent ringing in his ears. Surprised, he immediately flinched away, as if he had felt static, and allowed the pen to drop onto Souji's palm safely instead. Yosuke's left hand instinctively reached out to rub the back of the right hand, even though his hand wasn't injured or sore.

The strange behaviour had Souji asking, "Hm? Yosuke, is something wrong?"

"It's...it's nothing," came the shaky reply. When the grey-haired adolescent casted him a doubtful look, Yosuke quickly said, "R-really! I just...felt some static, is all."

Souji kept his eyes on the brunet for a while, then he softly sighed and shrugged. "Well, if you say so...but when you're more comfortable with telling me the truth, please don't hesitate to do so, okay?"

 _'Ouch,'_ Yosuke thought. _'I feel kinda bad, for some reason.'_

With that lingering in his mind, Yosuke verbally agreed with Souji to come clean with him when he felt he was ready. However, the brunet personally believed that it wouldn't be any time soon. For one, putting it in words was difficult. It wasn't that the strange sensation was hard to explain, but rather, Yosuke didn't want to put it across too directly lest he made Souji feel uncomfortable.

But the real reason was that he simply _couldn't_ possibly tell Souji. Secrets didn't exist long between the both of them, so it was normal for the leader of the Investigation Team to expect his best friend to reveal anything within a short period of time, but Yosuke felt that this would be different; that it was more of Souji the one keeping secrets rather than Yosuke himself.

After all, Souji never told anyone that he could constantly hear the voices of all his Personas. If it was something he didn't want the others to know, despite the fact that he knew that nobody would treat him differently, then Souji had to have an unquestionable reason for keeping this a secret, and within that quick moment of skin contact with Souji, Yosuke could see why.

It was a matter the two of them - no, all of them as a team - would eventually sit down to discuss for a long period of time, but it was something that wouldn't happen until a much later time, Yosuke decided. The first small step to take would be to ask his partner about the pen, before he could continue slowly encouraging him to step out of his shell and finally asking why touching it while also having direct contact with Souji would open a window into the voices in his head.

For now, Yosuke was hungry. The first thing on his to-do list? Chow down. And so he left the house with Souji, pushing all prior thoughts to the back of his head, to make his way to the place that would fill his stomach.

***

"...Uh, Souji? What is this?"

"Hm?" The grey-haired adolescent looked up from his tray. He glanced over the array of sushi on Yosuke's tray, which mirrored his own. It had sushi with raw beef that was literally dripping with fresh blood, another with live shrimps dipped in melted cheese, yet another topped with tomato cubes and squid ink, and many other kinds of strange-looking food.

Souji casted Yosuke a confused look. "What do you mean? It's obviously sushi, isn't it?"

The brunet cringed as he watched his best friend pop a suspicious piece of the so-called sushi into his mouth. "Sushi is supposed to... It's supposed to look _edible_ , at the very least. This doesn't look anything close to that."

"Really? I think it looks fashionable."

"...Dude, I don't think looking fashionable has anything to do with whether you can eat it."

Souji chewed his sushi thoroughly before swallowing it. He had a blissful expression on his face. "It's really good, Yosuke. Just give it a try. I'm sure you'll love it."

"Somehow, I get the feeling that I can't trust you about this."

But of course, Yosuke couldn't bluntly reject his friend's kind offer, especially since Souji was already thoughtful enough to book reservations beforehand, on top of giving him a place to stay and buying all of the furniture he needed. So the brunet hesitantly picked up the rice with smoked salmon topped with melted blue cheese and cucumber slices, and placed it into his mouth whole.

The first bite made his eyes water and his tongue sting.

Yosuke spat the sushi out as eloquently as he could. "What the _hell_ \--urghhh," he managed to say, pain and misery evident in his tone. "H-how could you even stand eating this thing?! It's almost as bad as Mystery Food X, no wait, it's _worse_ than that! Why are you able to swallow this crap?!"

"Well, I guess you could say that I'm used to the taste," Souji replied sheepishly, shrugging.

"Wait, so you're saying that you frequent this restaurant? Seriously, partner? How did you even survive your first time here?" Yosuke asked incredulously.

"Oh, I passed out after the first bite." The silver-haired adolescent deliberately paused to see Yosuke's stunned expression frozen in place, then he chuckled quietly. "It was kind of a blur, but I remember one of the staff here carrying me all the way to the hospital. He even paid for my medical fees. I came back here to show my gratitude, but the same thing keeps happening, so I keep coming back here."

"...So basically, you land yourself in the hospital, this staff compensates you, and you come back just to find yourself hospitalised again, only for the same person to pay for your medical bill, aaaand the entire cycle repeats itself." The brunet shook his head. "Souji, you are unbelievable. In every sense of the word."

"Ah, well, at least I'm able to stay conscious after eating their sushi now." The unbelievable youth smiled warmly. "Besides, it's really not so bad. True, their sushi might look...weird, but if you have it more often, you'll find that it's actually pretty good."

Yosuke grimaced at the idea of taking another bite of the Ikebukuro version of Mystery Food X. "Maybe some other time, partner. For now, I just want some normal sushi. Like, ooh, plain ol' tamago sounds good. Y'know what I mean?"

"Okay, okay," Souji said lightheartedly, raising both hands as if in defeat. "I'm sure they have the more common kinds of sushi here. Hang on."

While remaining seated, Souji pushed himself forward towards the door of the private room he and Yosuke were in, then slid the door open. He stuck his head out to get a quick glimpse of the rest of the restaurant's interior, only to find a handful of customers enjoying their sushi at the counter and the owner of the restaurant busily preparing more for a few other waiting customers.

"...Huh," the grey-haired adolescent muttered, sounding surprised. "Simon-san still isn't back from his delivery yet?"

"'Simon-san'?" Yosuke echoed. It took only a few seconds before the brunet continued, "Ohhh, you mean the Russian guy you told me about last night? So, is he the staff you just mentioned about? The one who kept paying your hospital bills?"

Souji nodded. "I told him over the phone that I have a friend coming over, and he sounded excited to be able to meet you... He even said that he'd try to finish up his delivery as soon as possible. I wonder if something happened..."

"Ahh, I wouldn't worry about him if I were you," the brunet said casually while fighting with his abomination of a sushi platter with his chopsticks. "I mean, we're talking about a guy who can literally lift you up and carry you all the way to the hospital. And even pay your fees, to boot. Sounds like he can take care of himself just fine."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right," Souji replied with a sigh of relief, then closed the door and slid over back to his seat. He watched the person sitting across him tackling the challenge of separating the rice from the raw fish and meat, and couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, you can just use your hands. It's much easier that way."

"And get all the goo on my fingers? No thanks." Yosuke winced as he imagined himself picking up the rice with hands that have been stained with blue cheese, squid ink, and other sauces all at once.

After a few more minutes of struggling, Yosuke gave up and somehow arrived at the conclusion that he would be better off eating the sushi, and rapidly downed everything on his tray. Souji calmly sipped his tea while his best friend suddenly turned death pale and collapsed to the ground.

It was a rather eventful lunch.

***

An hour passed before Yosuke regained consciousness.

"I am so not ordering that ever again..." he groaned as he stepped out of the restaurant, hunched over as he gripped his stomach with one hand. "You hear me, Souji? I am so _not_ ordering that aga--bleargh..."

"I heard you the first time, Yosuke," the grey-haired adolescent sighed. "Come on, place your other arm over my shoulder. I'll support you. You can't walk properly in your current condition."

"Ugh...thanks, partner."

The brunet took some time before he could muster the strength to drape his arm across his friend's shoulder, but once he did, he felt himself moving forward at a much more pleasurable pace. One that did not involve him crouching over in pain too frequently, or make him feel like he was going to empty his stomach on the streets, despite the cold spring breeze.

Although his vision was still slightly blur, Yosuke could make out the images of the skyscraper structures towering over the both of them, as well as the many cars on the road. The streets were teeming with people from all walks of life, engaged in different activities like listening to music or talking on their cell phones. It was almost stifling to have that many people surrounding him; Yosuke had to constantly remind himself of the life he led before moving to Inaba so that he could calm down.

He felt Souji shifting a little, and turned his head in confusion. It was then that he noticed that his partner was trying to lift himself, along with Yosuke, onto the scooter Souji inherited from his uncle, most likely to drive them back to the apartment. Yosuke started to panic again.

"H-hold on, Souji!" His yell caught the silver-haired adolescent's attention instantly. "I can cycle back to the apartment! It's no big deal, really! You don't have to carry me while riding your scooter back... B-besides, it's illegal to have two people on one scooter, remember?"

Yosuke saw the blank expression on Souji's face slowly turn into a frown. "It's not just that, Yosuke. I still need to do grocery shopping, remember? I can't possibly drag you with me when you're not feeling well, especially since it is my fault that you're like this now."

"Now don't go pushing all the blame to yourself, I'm the one who decided to be a hero and do something stupid," the brunet retorted. "Anyway I'm sure I'll be fine soon. I just need some fresh air and I'll be as good as new in no time! Trust me on that."

Seeing Yosuke's trademark wink again brought a smile to Souji's face. "Okay, then. We'll walk around for a while longer. Is there anywhere you want to go? I can take you there."

Yosuke's eyes sparkled, like stars dancing about in the pitch black sky. "Ooh, so you can be my personal tour guide? Well, now that you mention it, I've been wanting to--"

He was cut off when a large item of sorts landed right in front of their eyes.

The next thing they knew, it was lodged deep into the pavement, forming a ring of loose tiles and debris surrounding it. It all happened so quickly that the pair could barely even register the ear-piercing sound of the vending machine being crushed when it fell onto the ground. Their eyes widened at the sight.

Before either of them could say anything, a low-pitched yell reminiscent of a bull that saw red reverberated throughout the area.

"IIIIIIIZAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAA...!"

At that precise moment, a raven-haired young man manifested before Souji and Yosuke's eyes, the tails of his fur-trimmed coat brushing against their heads as he jumped over them merrily.

"Oh my, do excuse me,” they heard him hum while he landed on top of the damaged vending machine, before he leapt to grab a nearby sign post. They stared in awe as the man swung himself around the pole and released his hold to glide over the crowd gracefully, then he melted away into the sea of people.

The pair remained silent when, just a few seconds later, a blond bartender dashed past them, shouting at the top of his voice while lifting a trash can over his head. It wasn’t until he watched the man stop to fling the bulky object that Yosuke felt the bile rushing to his throat.

“Get back here so that I can beat you up, you damn flea!” the bartender bellowed as he uprooted the sign pole the other man had clung onto before. Then he was off to resume his chase.

The spectacle left Yosuke, whose back was being rubbed by a stunned Souji, whimpering.

"H...h-holy _shit_ , dude... Did you see that?!" the brunet finally spoke, but still unable to get over his evident shock. He didn't wait to see Souji nod and continued rambling, "H-he threw a freakin' _vending machine_ , a-and a trash can and even pulled out a sign post like it was nothing! Who the hell is he?!"

Right after that, a dark-skinned man wearing a sushi chef outfit chose that moment to appear, running after the blond. He was carrying a large sling bag over his shoulder, and had his left hand on his hat to hold it in place while he sped through the crowd.

"Fighting no good! Come Russia Sushi! Sushi fill stomach! Eat good!" the sushi chef chanted in accentuated Japanese, his voice fading away as he dashed off into the distance. Yosuke gaped, staring wide-eyed after the towering figure.

"Okay...that was weird."

"...Ah." Souji blinked out of his stupor once the man disappeared. "Simon-san."

"Wait, what? _That's_ your benefactor?" Yosuke sputtered out in disbelief, turning to face his partner. "What's he doing chasing after a guy that's chasing another guy anyway?"

"I wonder," the silver-haired teen answered, nodding in agreement with his friend's question.

"...Please don't tell me you wanna find out."

Despite the fact that he could hear the shakiness in Yosuke's voice, Souji couldn't help but stare in the direction where Simon and the other two men took off to, then he turned to look at his scooter and Yosuke's bicycle parked near the pavement leading to the entrance of the sushi restaurant, appearing deep in thought. When a long moment of silence passed by, Souji finally shrugged.

"Let's just leave them be."

Yosuke heaved a sigh of relief.


	5. April 14 2013, Evening

**April 14, 2013**

After the unexpected event that they witnessed outside Russia Sushi, Souji and Yosuke slowly made their way towards the nearest supermarket where Souji could do his grocery shopping for cooking ingredients that could last the pair for the next few days. The place they went to wasn't much different from Junes, Yosuke had to admit, but all supermarkets look similar to him anyway, so who was he to make comparisons? The only difference he had been able to spot was the pricing of certain items, though the deviation wasn't much anyway.

Souji took him to nearly every section available, and would always ask if there was a particular kind of meal he felt like having whenever they arrived at a new area. Trying to be as considerate as possible, Yosuke made the simple request that he would be happy to have anything as long as sushi wasn't involved, not for the following days, at least. Souji laughed but complied anyway.

"Nabe sounds good," the grey-haired adolescent suddenly suggested as he picked out the freshest vegetables he could find. When Yosuke looked slightly confused, Souji clarified, "Oh, I meant for tonight's dinner. I was thinking that nabe would be good for the chilly weather today."

The brunet gave a whistle, evidently impressed. "How'd you know what I was thinking? I was secretly hoping for that, actually."

They continued chatting excitedly about the day's dinner, with Souji leading the way around the supermarket and choosing the ingredients and Yosuke taking it upon himself to push the cart. As it was approaching evening, sales were ongoing as well, which worked well in both young men's favour since they had agreed to split the bill among themselves; in Yosuke's case, it was an opportunity for him to save, so he was very pleased to see the lowered prices of nearly everything Souji picked.

After paying for their purchase, Souji and Yosuke nodded back to the staff who bowed slightly and thanked them for visiting, then turned to leave the supermarket. Once they stepped out, they were greeted by the hustle and bustle of night city life. This made them realise how much time they had spent shopping, and so they hurried in placing the groceries in the basket of Yosuke's bicycle before they got ready to make their move back to their apartment.

It wasn't long until they heard sirens in the distance.

"Huh? Are we speeding or something?" Yosuke muttered under his breath, trying not to panic. He was cycling at a comparable pace with Souji, who was riding his scooter next to Yosuke.

While they were indeed in a rush to get back home in order to have their dinner, they were certain that they weren't exceeding the speed limit nor were they disobeying any traffic laws. Nonetheless, the intensity of the sirens' wailing grew by the second, so the pair decided to stop by a legal parking area just to be safe.

They waited for a brief moment, then a motorcycle dashed past them. Taken aback, Souji mildly flinched while Yosuke jumped. They gave each other a perplexed look, and the next thing they knew, they came face-to-face with a middle-aged man who was wearing a red muffler and leaning forward from his motorcycle.

"Hey, are you two high school students?"

Yosuke jumped again, this time out of surprise that a man who appeared from nowhere was striking up a conversation with them. Noticing Yosuke's response, Souji decided to take control of the situation.

"Ah, no, not exactly. We just graduated this year," he answered calmly.

The man clicked his tongue. "I see," he grunted. He paused for a moment, and then the man spoke again. "Listen kids, it's best if you stay away from the streets for tonight. If you were students attending a high school that's around here, I'd warn you about going to school tomorrow morning, but looks like I don't have to do that after all."

His words sent warning bells ringing in both Souji and Yosuke's minds. After a long year of investigations and battles back in Inaba, the pair knew when to trust their instincts since they had grown sensitive to hearing about certain things. The cautious tone that the man had used in speaking to them alone was enough in informing them that something grave had occurred.

Yosuke gulped. "Um, if you don't mind us asking...what happened, exactly?"

The man hesitated in giving an answer; for the next minute or so, he seemed to be arguing with himself, most likely considering about whether to reveal what appeared to be confidential information to two adolescents. Finally, he gave up. "Okay, what I'm about to tell you is classified, though it's all going to be broadcasted in tonight's news anyway so it doesn't hurt to tell you two now, I guess. But you're gonna have to agree to keep it a secret first."

"We promise," Souji replied readily.

The man nodded curtly. "Alright, then. Don't be too surprised to hear this...but my colleagues down at the station got a call not too long ago, about two men who were brawling it out on the street. Apparently, one of them later ran into an alley to escape the other, but in the end both of them wound up there...and that was where they found it."

"'It'...?" Souji echoed, prompting the older man to continue when he suddenly fell silent.

The man frowned, frustration evident in the sigh that followed. "A body."

Yosuke bristled upon hearing that, but said nothing despite the emotions swirling within him. Souji refrained from making any facial expressions in response to the man's words, to the best of his ability; it would do the both of them no good if the man were to pick up on anything that might seem out of the ordinary from them, after all.

Of course, it wasn't to both youths' knowledge that the man was a seasoned police officer, one who could easily take note of the most minute of detail when conversing with other people. Their reactions, therefore, didn't go unnoticed.

"You kids okay there?" he asked, though it wasn't out of concern for the pair.

"...Yeah, we're good," Yosuke sighed. "We're just...shocked to hear that." His grey-haired companion nodded silently.

"'Course you'd be," the man hummed to himself in slight disbelief, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Please do tell us more," Souji suddenly requested, trying not to let impatience get the better of him. It surprised the man a little, but he easily regained his composure when he realised that the pair hadn't heard what he just said.

Then, he shrugged. "I can't say much more, I'm afraid. You'll have to check the news tonight for more details."

"Please," the silver-haired adolescent insisted, casting the man an intense gaze unintentionally.

The traffic policeman pretended to ignore the look that the teen was giving him. "If you really must know," he sighed, giving in. "The body was found in a rather peculiar condition, apparently. My colleagues from the investigation division suspect it's a homicide, and the victim has been identified as a high school student, which is why I'm going around making sure that the students go home safely."

Yosuke clenched his fists tightly. "Did you just say 'homicide'...?"

"It's all just speculation, at the moment. But the victim did die of unnatural causes. It's only normal to label it as a homicide for now." The man clicked his tongue again, then continued, "Really, it's not safe for you to be wandering around right now. I don't care if you two are high school students or undergraduates, just be careful when you go out from now on, until the police is done investigating. Go on, go back home already."

Souji nodded. "Thank you for telling us, sir." The policeman simply waved him off and sped into the distance on his motorcycle.

Then, the pair turned to face each other, a grave expression painted on both of their faces. "I have a bad feeling about this," Yosuke started, eyes narrowing as he spoke.

"We can't jump to conclusions...but I do agree with you," Souji replied, remembering the conversation he had with Margaret over the phone that morning. "If this is similar to what happened in Inaba, we can't let our guard down."

"Yeah. I mean, who knows if there's some other so-called divine being like Izanami hanging out here and pulling the strings? If we're not careful, we'll risk having our world merge with the TV world again."

"We won't let that happen." The look on Souji's face was solemn and cold. Then, he sighed. "But it's still too early for us to make any valid conclusions. I haven't heard about any rumours concerning the Midnight Channel...and I've tried it myself once, just to make sure, but nothing appeared."

Yosuke thought hard about Souji's words, then suggested, "How about we go home and check the news first? If there _are_ any similarities to the serial murders back in Inaba, we'll hold a meeting with the others through the group chat before we make any decisions."

"That's fine with me," the grey-haired adolescent agreed. It was all Yosuke needed to hear, for he nodded back and then hopped onto the bicycle he borrowed from Souji, ready to put their temporary plan to action. Souji turned to give the night sky a glance, before he returned to his scooter.

The pair left the deserted street.

***

When Souji and Yosuke reached the apartment, the brunet did the first thing that had been on his mind before the grocery shopping, which was rush to the toilet and empty the contents of his stomach. It had coiled around itself after he consumed the unorthodox sushi, giving him pangs of pain that would give a girl having menstrual cramps a run for her money. Souji shook his head in amusement after hearing Yosuke describe his stomachache in such a manner.

Nevertheless, they still had their nabe, even though Yosuke ate his dinner while hunched over. Despite the uncomfortable position he was in, coupled with the aftermath of an intense vomiting session, the brunet claimed that the delicious dinner wiped all of his suffering away. It made Souji smile, and then he wondered if it was simply a deliberate attempt on Yosuke's part to cheer him up after their exchange with the policeman earlier that night.

While waiting for the news to be broadcasted, the two of them decided to start getting ready for their first day at university. After leaving the television in the living room on, they returned to their rooms to begin sorting their materials out and tidying up. Time passed by rather quickly, for it wasn't long before they heard the announcer make his usual greetings to welcome viewers to the day's events, beginning with global affairs.

"--And now for the local news." Souji and Yosuke were sitting next to each other on the sofa, listening intently. "A dead body was discovered in the Ikebukuro area of Tokyo earlier this evening. Police have confirmed that the deceased died from unnatural causes and are labelling it as a homicide until further investigation reveals otherwise. The body was found hanging from a lamp post in an alley, and the deceased was pronounced dead by paramedics on-site.

"The deceased was a student enrolled in a local high school. Further details about the deceased will be kept confidential at the request of the deceased's relatives. An official warning from the authorities will be issued to all residents living in the area." The news broadcaster paused, then continued, "Now, moving on to--"

Souji got up and switched the television set off. "It's just like the murders in Inaba..." he murmured, but loud enough for Yosuke to hear. When he didn't get a reply, Souji shot his friend a questioning look. "Yosuke?"

The brunet was gripping onto the cushion beneath him so tightly Souji could see the tears in the leather, revealing the stuffing within the sofa. "Nothing's changed," Yosuke said, scowling. "Dammit, I thought we put an end to this, and now it's happening all over again. Were we misled into believing that it was all over this whole time? Nearly killing Namatame, capturing Adachi, defeating Izanami...weren't they enough?!"

"Calm down," Souji advised soothingly, sitting back in his seat next to the brunet and placing a conforming hand on his shoulder. "We still can't confirm if this is related to those murders. There are some key points that we're missing."

"...Okay." Yosuke took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Okay, y-you're right. Like the Midnight Channel and stuff...we haven't seen any of those yet."

Souji nodded, remembering the first time it rained through the night while living in Ikebukuro; he had stayed up to complete his homework when he heard the sound of the heavy rain pattering against his window. He recalled that he had glanced at the clock, out of reflex, and saw that it was approaching midnight. Perhaps to relive old memories, Souji had decided to stare into the television screen then, and was relieved to find that the screen remained blank.

Being a reflection of human thoughts, the Midnight Channel appeared differently to different individuals, but once someone was thrown into the TV world, what was shown would be the same for all viewers. It was this characteristic of the Midnight Channel that led to the Investigation Team relying on it to determine the next potential victim or if the victim had already entered the TV world and required rescuing. If this body that had turned up in the alley was indeed related to the Inaba serial murders, then there should have been talk of the appearance of the Midnight Channel the night before the corpse was discovered, at the very least.

Of course, people living in the city would most likely react differently than people living in the countryside would to the same phenomenon; in a place like Inaba where practically nothing happened everyday, something like the Midnight Channel would easily become the talk of the town, but for the residents of Ikebukuro, in particular, who had grown used to seeing the Headless Rider and bearing witness to the display of one Heiwajima Shizuo's inhuman strength, televisions coming to life on rainy nights would simply be an addition to all the peculiarities Ikebukuro had to offer.

Still, that was no reason to rule out the possibility that the Midnight Channel continued to exist, and if that was the case, then it would not be entirely wrong to link the discovery of the dead body to the serial murders. At this point, Souji decided, it would be best if they played it safe and search for information.

When he bought this up to Yosuke, the brunet agreed readily, but after a moment, he grimaced. "...Ugh, but we have to go to college tomorrow. It won't be easy getting anything about the body that showed up today since we'll practically have zero free time."

"But we need to try," the silver-haired adolescent replied encouragingly. "I can ask my juniors back in Raira Academy if they know anything about the victim. Raira Academy is also affiliated with the university we're in, so it shouldn't be a problem to drop by and ask the other students there."

Yosuke sighed, "I guess we could do that. It's better than nothing, at least."

"Yeah," Souji agreed. He picked up the remote control and turned the television set on, switching to the channel that displayed the weather forecast for the next seven days. "Looks like it'll rain on Tuesday... Maybe even through the night."

"All right, we'll need to gather as much information as we can until then. Hopefully we'll be able to find a lead."

"I'll contact the others now," Souji said as he walked over to the dining table where his laptop was. "They need to know about this. Naoto might be able to find something on her end, too."

"Oh yeah...! Hey, we should tell her to dig up more info on the victim. Like, the name, gender and which school the victim went to."

The leader of the Investigation Team frowned. "But if she's not one of the detectives in charge of the case, I don't think the others on the force would be willing to share that much with her..."

"Well, we can work on any amount of info she can give us, I guess." The brunet grabbed his smartphone and began tapping on the screen. "Anyway, let's just log in first and see who's online."

The pair focused on their respective devices, each of them quickly typing in their chatroom username as well as the password to the private chatroom that the team used. While messaging and calling using their cell phones were also normal ways for them to keep in touch, getting all eight of them together on the same page at the same time was a feat that neither text messages nor calls could achieve. On top of that, not everyone used a smartphone - incidentally, only Souji, Yosuke and Chie owned smartphones - so it was impossible to make use of the downloadable apps to gather the entire group.

That was why Naoto suggested using an online chatroom instead. With all of them having access to wireless networks wherever they were, it would be a convenient way for the team to remain in contact. The others thought that it was a great idea, and Yosuke got down to establishing the chatroom and customising its settings almost immediately after that. The Investigation Team had been using it ever since.

Of course, there were some...unforeseen circumstances.

"Dude, is someone trying to hack us _again_?"

Souji stared at the screen, watching as the same line in red font appeared over and over. It read: 'An unauthorised individual is attempting to log in.'

The silver-haired adolescent sighed. "Naoto must be typing her chatroom name and password in caps again."

"Ugh, seriously? I thought she finally got the hang of it after she gave poor Kanji a heart attack last spring," Yosuke groaned, shaking his head as he recalled the first time the whole team was using the chatroom. Tatsumi had mentioned something about offering everyone sewing lessons and the detective 'shouted' back that she was busy with work. It scared Kanji so badly he didn't dare to even look at Naoto for a week, let alone talk to her. Shirogane used that week to correct her typing, feeling responsible for Tatsumi's predicament. Souji hadn't left Inaba then, so he, too, remembered the incident clearly.

"Y'know, I've been wondering - how did she even log in back then, if she was using caps?"

"I think the other girls were with her," Souji replied, sending a text message to the detective to remind her to switch the caps lock off. "I remember Rise telling me that they gathered in Satonaka's room for some girls' meeting and they were teaching her how to log in using her phone while they were there."

"...They knew she had a texting problem and didn't do anything about it?"

The grey-haired adolescent thought about it for a while, and then he shrugged. At that moment, there was a beep coming from the speakers of his laptop, notifying him that someone had successfully logged in. Souji and Yosuke then directed their attention back to the group chatroom after hearing the sound.

***

**WE ARE S.S.I.D. - ONLINE HEADQUARTERS**

**< Burning Petals is online>**   
**< Myriad Truths is online>**   
** <Youthful Wind is online>**

**< Shield of Justice has logged in>**

_Shield of Justice_ **  
**GOOD EVENING.

 _Shield of Justice_ **  
**I SINCERELY APOLOGISE FOR THE BLUNDER I MADE JUST NOW.

 _Burning Petals_  
It's okay, Naoto-kun.

 _Burning Petals_  
...Snrk.

 _Youthful Wind_  
Who the hell types that in a chatroom?

 _Youthful Wind_  
Wait r u Amagi?

 _Burning Petals_  
Um, yes. Who is this...?

 _Shield of Justice_  
I BELIEVE IT IS HANAMURA-SENPAI.

 _Myriad Truths_  
Psst, Shield. Your caps.

 _Shield of Justice_  
...I WILL CORRECT IT NOW. THANK YOU FOR INFORMING ME.

 _Shield of Justice_  
AND PLZ DO NOT ADDRESS ME IN THAT MANNER, SENPAI.

**< Shield of Justice has logged off>**

_Youthful Wind_  
...Is she srsly gonna b k on her own?

 _Burning Petals_  
By the way, Hanamura-kun, did you change your username?

 _Youthful Wind_  
Course I did. My previous one was stupid. I mean, "Disco Ninja Frog"? （−＿−；）

 _Burning Petals_  
But I liked it...

 _Myriad Truths  
_ I agree with Petals. Why did you change it? I thought it sounded hip...

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Dude it was ur idea, of course u'd defend it (#｀Д´)ﾉ

 _Youthful Wind_  
Anyway that's not what we logged in for. Amagi do u noe if Satonaka n the others will b logging in 2nite?

 _Burning Petals_  
Chie said she'll try her best to. Kanji-kun and Teddie should be logging in soon. I'm not sure about Rise-chan, though...

**< Complete Analysis has logged in>**

_Complete Analysis_  
oh senpai! ure on9 2day! aw i missed u ♥

 _Youthful Wind_  
...lemme guess. Rise? U changed ur username too?

 _Complete Analysis_  
uh-huh! o((*^ ^*))o i feel that it fits me. heehee do u like it?

 _Myriad Truths_  
Very hip.

 _Complete Analysis_  
thanks, senpai~

 _Youthful Wind_  
Stop encouraging her, Souji.

**< Kamui Miracle has logged in>**

_Kamui Miracle_  
sENSei! EverYONE! HI!!!

 _Youthful Wind_  
I thot I tot u how to type properly!

 _Kamui Miracle_  
ItS TOo haRd yOSuKe, giMmE tIme

**< The Man's Way has logged in>**

_The Man's Way_  
Yo, what's up? Did I miss out on a lot?

 _Burning Petals_  
Oh, nothing much, Kanji-kun. We're just waiting for the others to log in.

 _The Man's Way_  
Oh okay. So who else isn't here yet?

 _Myriad Truths_  
We're still missing a dragon and a shield.

 _The Man's Way_  
...huh?

**< Shield of Justice has logged in>**

_Shield of Justice  
_ I apologise for the wait.

 _The Man's Way_  
N...nah, s'cool. I just got here too.

 _Youthful Wind  
_ All right, so Satonaka's the only one not here yet. Shld we wait? Or...

 _Shield of Justice_  
I believe we should begin now. We have a pressing matter to discuss.

 _Youthful Wind_  
Oh u too? Souji n I have sth to share with u guys as well, maybe it's the same thing...

 _Shield of Justice_  
If that is the case, then please go ahead, Senpai.

 _Myriad Truths_  
Thank you, Shield.

 _Myriad Truths_  
Well, it's just as what Frog said... There's something we need to settle, as a team. But first, I need all of you to stay calm. I don't think you're going to like what I'm about to tell you.

 _Complete Analysis_  
its ok senpai, we can take it

 _The Man's Way_  
Ain't nothing we can't handle.

 _Youthful Wind_  
Dude don't call me that.

 _Myriad Truths_  
Okay then. Frog and I were watching the news just now. The police over here have found a dead body...and the circumstances seem to coincide with the serial murders in Inaba...

 _Burning Petals_  
...!

 _Complete Analysis_  
no way!!

 _Kamui Miracle_  
Σ(Дﾟ;/)/…!?

 _The Man's Way_  
What the hell?! Didn't we put an end to it last year?!

 _Youthful Wind [Private Mode]_  
Stop calling me that already (# ﾟДﾟ)

 _Shield of Justice_  
...Just as I thought. The news hasn't been broadcasted in Inaba yet. Though, Kujikawa-san? Aren't you living in Tokyo now?

 _Complete Analysis_  
ive been 2 busy w/ work 2 noe abt whats going on lately... ( >へ＜) theyre rushing me 2 release my new album asap, i barely have any time 2 rest

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ AwW poOr rISeCHaN

 _Shield of Justice_  
I see. That is unfortunate.

 _Burning Petals_  
Um, so...can you confirm if it's related to the case in Inaba, Seta-kun?

 _Myriad Truths_  
Not at the moment. We haven't noticed any fog, and the Midnight Channel doesn't show up either. But nothing's certain yet, so we'll need to investigate.

 _The Man's Way_  
So that means you two are gonna be going around to ask for info, right?

 _Myriad Truths_  
To be safe, yeah.

 _Complete Analysis_  
what happened exactly? y did a dead body turn up like that there?

 _Youthful Wind_  
We dunno all the details... And the cop that warned us abt going out didn't tell us much either. All we noe is that the victim was a high school student.

 _Burning Petals_  
A high school student... That's so sad...

 _Burning Petals_  
If Seta-kun and the others hadn't come to save me...that could have been me...

 _Shield of Justice_  
...It could have been any of us, Senpai.

 _Complete Analysis_  
its rly scary when u think abt it that way...

 _The Man's Way_  
Hey, c'mon, what really matters is that we're alive now, right? I mean, yeah we nearly died and all, but we came out stronger, didn't we? That's gotta mean something.

 _The Man's Way_  
So what we have to do now, is to get to the bottom of this and make sure it never happens again. Yeah?

 _Burning Petals_  
...Kanji-kun...

 _Complete Analysis_  
w...wow

 _Shield of Justice_  
...You're absolutely right.

 _Youthful Wind_  
C-c'mon, guys, let's not talk abt this anymore. What's over is over.

 _Youthful Wind_  
Oh yeah, that reminds me. We've been meaning to ask u if u noe anything else abt the victim, Naoto. Like the school the victim went to, or the age or...anything, really.

 _Shield of Justice_  
I'm afraid that I don't have anything substantial to offer, Senpai. Such information is confidential. However, once I have officially been accepted as a member of the team, I will be able to access the classified information, so please wait until then.

 _Burning Petals_  
'A member of the team'?

 _Youthful Wind_  
Huh? Wait so that means...

 _Shield of Justice  
_ I have been contacted by the Ikebukuro police force to lend my assistance to the team in charge of investigating this case. They have already identified the similarities that this case shares with the murders in Inaba, and are also aware of my experience with the latter, so they believed me to be a useful addition to the team.

 _Shield of Justice_  
Of course, I have agreed. Now all that is left is the paperwork, and once that is complete, I will be heading to Ikebukuro to help with the case.

 _Youthful Wind  
_ That's...that's perfect, Naoto! Now we don't have to worry abt not having enough info!

 _Burning Petals_  
But is it alright to share such information with normal people like us?

 _Shield of Justice_  
 True, it is against protocol, but if this is indeed linked to the serial murders, then it will be impossible for the police to crack the case. I am willing to take the risk if it means being able to apprehend the perpetrator.

 _Myriad Truths_  
Understood. Just be careful, Shield.

 _Shield of Justice_  
Um, please don't call me that, Senpai...

 _Complete Analysis_  
ur so lucky naoto-kun, u get 2 c senpai n yosuke-senpai while im being worked 2 death here ( ≧Д≦)

 _Kamui Miracle_  
iM sOooO jeALoUs of yoU nAoChaN I waNnA meEt seNseI anD yOSukE toO ｡･(つд`｡)･｡

 _The Man's Way_  
Uh, guys, I don't think that's the point here. (ーー;)

**< Dragon Hustle has logged in>**

_Dragon Hustle_  
UGH FINALLY

 _Dragon Hustle_  
Hey everyone! Sorry I'm late! It was sooo hard getting a connection you won't believe it!

 _Dragon Hustle_  
So...what'd I miss?

***

He left right after the police recorded his statement at the station, exhausted and frustrated from continuously being asked questions about what he had witnessed that evening. Deciding to take a shortcut, the man made a turn into a quiet, deserted street, placing his hands into his pockets.

Initially, he had the intention to go shopping for ingredients for his dinner, but the supermarket nearby was already closed for the day, and there wasn't a convenience store in sight. Sighing, he grabbed his cigarette box and lighter, bit onto the end of a cigarette stick, and lit it. He took a deep breath with the cigarette between his teeth, keeping the box and the lighter at the same time, then removed the cigarette and exhaled, the smoke trailing from his lips.

Ignoring his hunger pangs, the blond leaned against a wall and continued smoking. It wasn't until the cigarette was nearly half gone that he started to make his way back home. Before he took a step, however, he heard a familiar cry in the distance, getting louder and louder with every passing second. Scratching the back of his head, he decided to remain where he was.

When the source of the sound appeared before him in the form of the Headless Rider and her motorcycle, he removed the cigarette again, and crushed whatever remained of the toxic stick.

"...Celty," the blond acknowledged. "What're you doing here?"

The Dullahan quickly typed a response onto the PDA that materialised from her sleeve. [I came to see how you're doing.]

Shizuo leaned forward, scrutinising every word on the screen, and gave a self-mocking smirk. "Nothing escapes you, huh," he mumbled under his breath.

Celty gave no indication of whether she had heard that, and simply erased the previous message on the screen to type out another. [Do you want to talk about it?]

Every fibre of his being screamed no, not after being stuck in a police station together with the person he hated the most for what seemed like an eternity and repeating what he had seen to policemen who probably had nothing better to do; he was sick of it all. Having the flea pestering him again that day was already infuriating enough, seeing a dead body made it worse. If he had a choice, Shizuo hoped that he would never talk about this day ever again.

But to Celty, to someone he regarded as a friend, such an option didn't exist.

"It'll probably take a long time, though..."

Her reply was typed out carefully and thoughtfully. [I don’t mind. Take as long as you like. I'll always be here.]

The blond visibly relaxed, and then he smiled. "...Thanks."

\--Because he knew that Celty would _listen_. And she was probably the only one in the world, other than his brother, who was willing to do that for someone like him.


	6. April 15 2013, Daytime

**April 15, 2013**

Souji, as expected, was the first to wake up. After he washed up and changed into a fresh set of clothes - which included a white long-sleeved turtleneck and a pair of plain, dark blue jeans - he made his way to the kitchen as quietly as possible. The silver-haired adolescent decided to prepare an exquisite breakfast, mostly out of guilt for ordering Yosuke a not-so-pleasant lunch, but also because he wanted to congratulate his friend for making it into the course he wanted. With that in mind, Souji began looking through the fridge for any suitable ingredients.

He was preparing the batter and bread when Yosuke, still dressed in his orange, white polka-dotted pyjamas, strolled into the kitchen, opened the fridge to grab an unsealed carton of milk, and slurped it up sleepily. Amused at the sight, Souji shook his head, chuckling to himself as he dipped the bread into the egg mixture and proceeded to cook it. The aroma of the French toast captivated the brunet who was still in the kitchen, distracting him from the milk carton in his hands and compelling him to move closer to his chef. He looked over Souji's shoulder and watched him prepare the meal, nearly drooling at how delicious it appeared.

Yosuke soon found himself gobbling down the toast as quickly as a bullet train; in fact, he was going so fast Souji was worried that he would choke, and the latter had to keep reminding him to eat more slowly. Still, seeing his best friend enjoy the breakfast he prepared to this extent more than pleased him.

They returned to their respective rooms to recheck their bags, making sure that everything they needed was accounted for. Souji was the first to get ready, since Yosuke needed time to change into proper clothes. The brunet, now wearing a pale pink v-neck shirt and brown jeans, apologised for holding them up when he exited his room. Then, the pair put on their jackets and shoes before they left the apartment together, ready for their first day at Raira University.

***

News of a dead body being found hanging from a lamp post, as disturbing as it sounded, didn't deter the many inhabitants of Ikebukuro who were filling up the streets as they hurried to work or school. Most of the men and women were on their phones, discussing business deals or other work-related matters as they walked briskly. Students could be found waiting at bus stops, or taking their usual ways to school.

Everyone was living their normal, daily lives, unaffected by what had transpired in the city just the night before. It was as if nothing had happened in the first place.

Though that was to be expected, Yosuke found it slightly frustrating. "I don't remember things being like this back when I was living in the city. I mean, sure, there are more important things to pay attention to, but the people here can't be _that_ apathetic."

"That's just how they are," Souji replied. "They talk about it for a day, and then the next they forget about it."

The brunet sighed. "Well, at least they aren't gossiping about it or saying bad things about the victim like the people in Inaba did."

Souji nodded silently as he remembered the situation in Inaba when the first two bodies were found. The death of Yamano Mayumi and the position of her body when it was discovered caused quite an uproar in the quiet town. Following that was Konishi Saki's death, which was met with both sorrow and contempt. While her family and Yosuke mourned for her passing, most of the townspeople as well as the student body, especially people from her cohort, sneered and talked behind her back. It was a horrible period of time for Yosuke, and seeing his friend so down made Souji feel upset too. In comparison to that, maybe it was better if people were more indifferent.

But of course, if it hadn't been for all the badmouthing, Yosuke wouldn't have had the opportunity to speak up for the senpai he cherished so much, and then he wouldn't have grown as a person. Then, perhaps, the truth was that there were people who despised Saki and didn't feel any remorse towards her passing and, to someone like Yosuke who liked her even though she didn't reciprocate his feelings, it was painful to hear all that and be constantly reminded of her death. But it was by facing that reality and deciding to do something about it that Yosuke could overcome his own weaknesses. When he thought of it that way, Souji decided that it was not an experience that was entirely bad.

Still, it didn't change the fact that nobody would want to be talked about in that way, so Souji could see where Yosuke was coming from.

"Anyway," the brunet's voice stopped Souji's train of thought. "since the victim was a high school student, there could be some commotion about it in the school the victim went to, so we might have some luck in finding the information we need when we head down to the high schools here in 'Bukuro."

"Don't you want to wait for Naoto to give us the information?"

"Well, we can't really tell when exactly the paperwork will be done, right? It's best if we get hold of something first." Yosuke shrugged.

"Hmm...I guess you're right. Ah, then that reminds me..." Souji trailed off, whipping out his cell phone to type out a message. A short moment later, he said, "Done. I hope my juniors at Raira Academy will reply me soon."

"Well, considering that it's a message from their favourite Senpai, I'm sure they will," Yosuke teased, winking at his best friend.

"They're not Rise, you know," the silver-haired adolescent chuckled. "I don't exactly have much of a presence in the school, actually. Since I transferred there as a Third Year student, I didn't get to know many people."

"Huh, really? I would have expected people to flock to you straight away..."

"Everyone was too busy preparing for the entrance examinations, I guess." Souji shrugged nonchalantly. "I knew more First and Second Years than Third Years back then. But it was only because the teachers recommended me to join the student council."

Yosuke gave a whistle, a piece of evidence that he was impressed and proud of his partner. "Still, that's pretty cool. I mean, the student council? You deserve it, man."

The pair continued chatting as they made their way to the university, with Souji revealing more bits and pieces of his life in Ikebukuro after leaving Inaba and Yosuke going more in-depth into things that happened Inaba during Souji's absence. Occasionally, they also reminisced about the year they spent together in the rural town, discussing about both the case as well as school life. They were so immersed in their conversation that they didn't even realise that they had passed by a certain blond ex-bartender, who was walking behind a dreadlocked man.

"You sure you don't wanna take today off, Shizuo? You're not looking too good..." Tom advised worriedly, his brows furrowed as he turned back to face his kouhai.

“Senpai is unwell?” enquired the blonde trailing behind Shizuo. Though she had spoken them out of consideration for his health, there was an evident lack of emotion in her words.

Shizuo gave her a soft smile. “Nah, I’m fine. Thanks, Vorona.”

The female whom Shizuo referred to as Vorona kept her eyes on him. “…The words ‘I’m fine’ - most used lie. Possible motivation behind it is to hide real feelings from other people. Senpai is clearly unwell, yet Senpai said ‘I’m fine’. A lie, I affirm.”

“What she said, Shizuo.”

"Really, I'm okay," Shizuo replied politely, keeping his hands in his pockets as he followed Tom. Then, he looked at the Russian following him, and added, “And that’s not a lie.”

His senior sighed. "If you say so... Just don't push yourself, alright? We have a long day ahead of us."

"Got it," the bodyguard said, slightly absentmindedly. He could faintly register Tom's concern for him, and part of him felt bad for not knowing how to react to that. On top of that, the blond knew that he should be more focused on his work to ensure that he didn't accidentally give his senpai trouble, but still, he couldn't help but think back to the previous night's talk with Celty. Shizuo hadn't intended to spill out everything he felt to the Dullahan at first, but the more he talked about the day's events, the more agitated he got.

It all started when he was having lunch with his senpai and kouhai, which he ordered from Russia Sushi. Halfway through the meal, he picked up on a familiar odour, and not long after, said odoriferous person was skipping along the street with a smug look on his face, as if he owned the world. Needless to say, it struck a nerve, and so the most eloquent response Shizuo could come up with was to pick up a vending machine and hurl it at the flea across the street.

Ignoring Simon's cries and Tom's exasperated sigh, the blond had begun chasing after the flea, who started running. His frustration continued building up as time passed and, after uprooting a sign post, he went after Izaya again. Neither of them seemed to take note of how much time had passed since the chase began; all Shizuo could remember was that he kept tossing things and missing, as usual. And it just served to piss him off more, as usual.

But when Izaya tried to escape by running into a dark alley and Shizuo followed after him, he knew, then, that something wasn't right. As he went further down the deserted route, he heard the louse knock into something; that, by itself, already struck him as odd because Izaya never moved around so carelessly like that. Part of him was reluctant to go on and wondering why he was suddenly so curious about the flea. The other part of him wanted to know if it was a trick, and if the flea was up to something.

In the end, Shizuo decided to go closer. He kept moving forward until he saw a faint light coming from the left, and then he made a turn there. It took only a few steps to get to the source of the light, which turned out to be Izaya's cell phone. When Shizuo was about to ask what the flea was doing, Izaya simply shone the light in his face and then directed his attention to what was above them.

It was a body, of all things, hanging from a lamp post. There was blood dripping from it, making a pool of blood on the ground. The skin had turned a sickly shade of bluish purple. What made it worse was that the eyes were wide open, but they looked like they had sunken into the head, so Shizuo could see--

He shook his head and quickly lit a cigarette. ' _Stop thinking about it, dammit,_ ' Shizuo reprimanded himself, putting the cigarette to his lips. He didn't notice Tom turning back to cast him yet another worried glance and simply carried on smoking, even though he promised his senpai that he would try not to smoke during working hours. It had completely slipped past his mind, and Shizuo was too distracted to realise it, but Tom let it slide.

"...You can always confide in me, you know," the dreadlocked man muttered softly. He had said so, with the slightest bit of hope that Shizuo could hear him. But at the same time, he wanted Shizuo to come to him on his own accord, not because he was doing it for a senpai. After all, to Tom, the blond wasn't simply a junior he got to know from middle school.

As expected, Shizuo didn't hear him.

***

Lessons ended sooner than he had anticipated.

It wasn't as bad as Yosuke initially thought it would be, but still, the idea of studying and going to school was enough to make him worried that he wouldn't fit in. Going to college might have had been his own idea, but he didn't think that he would pass the entrance exams and land himself a place at Raira University.

While it wasn't a top university like the University of Tokyo was, it was prestigious enough for even people living in a backwater town like Inaba to know about. Neighbours congratulated him for his achievement; even people shopping at Junes who happened to see him would specially go up to him to offer their congratulations and praise. To them, Yosuke suddenly appeared as a confident and capable young man with a bright future, but the brunet knew he was anything but that.

All along, Yosuke believed that him getting into Raira had just been a fluke. The first day proved that. He couldn't really follow the lectures, although he did manage to take some notes, but after re-reading them, he realised that he couldn't understand what he had written, so they became worthless to him. Yosuke expected that, of course. It was the fact that he could even write anything at all that made the entire situation seem not so horrible.

When the last tutorial of the day was over, Yosuke quickly left the room after packing his study material to hurry to the main building's lobby, which was the meeting place that Souji had designated. His partner wasn't there when Yosuke reached, though. The brunet figured that since Psychology was technically a more demanding course, the duration of the lectures and tutorials were probably longer than those of Statistics.

Ten minutes later, Souji turned up. He apologised for being late, and explained that during the last tutorial, he had a peculiar professor, who wanted to get to know everyone in the tutorial group and used some interesting methods to engage the students. In the end, it turned out to be the professor's way of introducing the students to the module and getting them to understand how people behave to certain stimuli.

Yosuke gaped. Souji laughed when he saw that.

"Oh, right." The leader of the Investigation Team now looked more serious, and took out his phone. "I got a reply from one of my juniors. She said that she heard something about the case."

Yosuke regained his composure. "That means...the victim was a student at Raira Academy?"

"Most likely," Souji replied, nodding. "We'll need to head there and ask her ourselves, but it's still too early for school to end..."

They both checked their phones for the time. "Huh, shouldn't it still be lunch break by now?" Yosuke asked after he realised that it was only thirty minutes past noon.

Souji put his phone back into his pocket and shook his head. "Well, yes, but by the time we reach there, there'd be very little time left, so we won't be able to find out much."

The brunet sighed, slightly disappointed. "That sucks. So we have no choice but to wait, huh?"

"We can go have lunch, I guess. Though there might be a crowd at the cafeteria by now. Unless you want to--"

"No no no, we are _not_ going back there again," Yosuke retorted, cringing at the thought of the strange sushi that his partner relished.

Souji  
chuckled. "Okay, okay. The cafeteria it is, then."

As they began heading in the direction of the cafeteria, the pair shared other titbits of how their lectures or tutorials went for the day. Yosuke spilled out his self-doubt, and handed Souji the notes he had scribbled to prove his inability, but the silver-haired adolescent seemed more impressed than perplexed and assured his best friend that he was coping just fine. The brunet, slightly flushed from the compliment, tried to challenge that statement, but failed to think of a reasonable argument, and ended up thanking his partner instead. He quickly hid the notes away before changing the subject.

They were walking down the steps of the spiral staircase leading to the main building canteen when someone called out to Souji from behind them. The pair turned, and noticed an elderly man, who was dressed rather intelligently, standing at the top of the staircase and smiling as he waved at them.

"Ah, Professor," Souji acknowledged, before turning to face Yosuke. "That's the professor I was talking about earlier."

The brunet's eyes shone with understanding, then gestured to his friend to go meet with his teacher and that he would be fine waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Souji gave him an apologetic look while nodding back, and parted with his friend to walk back up the steps.

"Yes, Professor, were you looking for me?" Souji asked politely when he reached the top of the staircase where the elderly man was waiting.

The professor answered, "Hrm, I wouldn't say so. Just going around the campus for a walk, and then I saw you and found you familiar before I remembered that you're one of my students. So I called you just to make sure."

"I see," the silver-haired adolescent replied, smiling. "Then, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for the tutorial you conducted earlier. It was most enjoyable, and I have learned a lot from it."

"Haha! You're an odd one, Seta-kun," the elderly man commented as he stroked his chin, where a beard was beginning to grow. "It is our duty to pass down our knowledge to people of the younger generations like you. I'm just doing my job, nothing more than that."

Souji didn't quite know how to respond to that. It was strange enough for a university professor to call out to him when he clearly wasn't free, and having that same professor whom he had only known for about two hours or so call him 'odd' was even stranger, but Souji didn't want to seem rude in questioning the older man's way of socialising with his students, so in the end, he settled for a nod to acknowledge that he had paid attention to the professor's words.

"Well, I think we've kept your friend waiting long enough." The elder gave Souji a kind smile. "I'll see you in future tutorials, Seta-kun."

"Yes, thank you," the grey-haired adolescent replied. He bowed, and then he walked down the steps towards where Yosuke was waiting.

Watching the young man's back fading into the distance from above, the professor chuckled softly to himself. "Ah, yes, quite an oddity you are, Seta-kun. Reminds me of one of my former students, I must say. It does make me wonder how he's doing now, that Orihara-kun..."

Then, with another amused chuckle, he turned, and went back to his daily walk around the university.

***

To the awkward situation that Souji was in a hurry to escape from earlier, Yosuke had only one thing to say: "Dude, that is just creepy." And the pair decided to leave it at that.

Souji didn't want to think about how tutorials that were conducted by that professor would be like in the future, knowing that he would most likely be singled out to answer questions and become the subject of his professor's...rather quirky antics. If he hadn't already.

It wasn't that he felt unsafe in the older man's presence, but rather, Souji simply didn't know how to react to such unexpected gestures and comments.

The idea of someone calling out to him, just to find him odd in the end even though he had been acting perfectly normal? That bothered him more than he had expected.

"A-anyway, let's just focus on the case for now," Yosuke said, trying to sound as soothing as he could muster, even though he was just as unsettled himself.

Deciding that being hung up over what happened earlier wouldn't benefit him, Souji attempted to forget about it by listening to Yosuke's advice. He nodded stiffly. "You're right. That takes priority."

They took their time to finish up lunch before they left the campus to head towards Raira Academy, which wasn't too far away. At the security guard checkpoint, Souji explained that he was a former student who wanted to give a friend a tour around the school, and after they found his records, the guards let them pass. Since classes hadn't ended yet, Souji and Yosuke decided to wait by the council room and sent a message to his kouhai to notify her.

It wasn't long before Souji received a reply. The pair waited patiently, and sure enough, an apathetic-looking student appeared. She had her light brown hair tied up in two bushy ponytails, one on each side of her head, and was dressed in the proper school uniform. Her lips slowly curled into a tiny, but honest, smile upon seeing the familiar silver-haired adolescent standing in front of her.

"Seta-senpai, it's nice to see you again."

Her voice was soft, but because of the close distance between the two older teens and her, they could hear her clearly. Souji smiled back.

"Same here, Kamichika."

Yosuke, face slightly red, poked his companion in the shoulder and then leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "Dude, what's with this girl here? She's super cute! Is she the junior you were talking about earlier on?"

"Ah, I forgot to introduce you," Souji said, nodding as an affirmation to Yosuke's question. "This is my friend I met back in Inaba. Hanamura Yosuke."

The girl, whom her senpai referred to as Kamichika, gave the brunet a courteous bow. The small smile was still evident on her face. Her gesture just made Yosuke more flustered than before.

"This is Kamichika Rio-san." The silver-haired adolescent tried not to give his friend a look of disapproval as he carried on with the introductions. "She was a Second Year student when I first arrived here. She helped me out a lot when I joined the student council."

Rio lightly shook her head. "No, it was Senpai who had been a great help to us. I didn't do anything special."

"You're being too modest, Kamichika," Souji commented lightheartedly. Then, his face fell. "Anyway, I'm sorry to ask you to come here right after class. I know it isn't convenient to do so, but we need to ask you some questions regarding the body that was found yesterday."

The smile was immediately wiped clean from Rio's features, whose shoulders sunk a little at the mention of the real reason why they were gathered there that day. "Oh...that's right."

Yosuke flinched upon noticing the Third Year's reaction. "Did...did you know the victim personally?"

"No," the student councillor answered quietly. "But, I think...someone in class 3A was dating that person. I heard that they started going out two years ago, and that they were a very loving couple."

The brunet casted his eyes downward. "...I see," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. Souji gave him a sympathetic look, but said nothing.

While Yosuke and Saki weren't dating, it was an undeniable fact that Yosuke harboured romantic feelings towards her, so it wasn't unusual for him to be devastated to hear of her death. Now, after hearing about two people who loved each other dearly but were eternally separated because one of them was killed, Yosuke couldn't help but feel upset for the one who was left behind.

...No, not just upset. Anger, frustration, sorrow--the same emotions that tormented him for months since Konishi-senpai's death were spiralling within him, like a tornado that wouldn't leave anything but destruction in its wake. Even though Yosuke had already accepted the fact that his senpai was gone, it still hurt to hear about something familiar happening to someone else.

Realising that he shouldn't be too bothered by these feelings at this time, Yosuke shook his head in an effort to distract himself, then asked, "Is there anything else you can tell us about the victim? Like, the name or gender?"

"Um, well..." Rio trailed off, taking a careful glance at her surroundings. "I think it'll be safer if we talk about this in the council room."

"Not a problem," Souji replied without a beat. He and Yosuke parted away from the council room door, allowing the Third Year student to enter the room first before they followed her in.

After Yosuke made sure to close and lock the door behind him, Rio nodded. "Yeah, we were told the student's particulars just this morning. The police talked to the principal and the teachers, and then the teachers passed down the information to the student councillors and the students from the class the victim was in."

"Huh? The principal didn't make an announcement to the rest of the student body?"

Kamichika shook her head, then directed her attention to Yosuke. "No, he didn't..." she answered his question. "The teachers think that it's because the less who know, the better. But they felt that they needed to inform the student's classmates and the councillors, at the very least."

"Most likely for damage control," Souji suggested. "If rumours about the victim begin to spread around the school, the councillors may be able to do something about it to prevent them from leaking out to the public. Though it's very risky."

"But why go to all the trouble? Just because the family of the victim doesn't want the public to know about the details?" Yosuke then brought a clenched fist to his forehead, appearing deep in thought. "And...doesn't it seem kinda redundant to keep a closed lid on information about the victim? I mean, even just a handful of people who know can just make use of social networks to spread the information and soon, the whole city will know. It's only a matter of time before the public knows who the victim is."

"They won't," Rio affirmed. "Because nobody would want to get into trouble."

"...And, uh, you're not afraid of that? I mean, wouldn't telling us about the victim get you into trouble?"

"We're away from the other students now, so it's okay." The student councillor smiled faintly. "Besides...if I can be of any use to Senpai and Hanamura-san, I'd be happy to help in any way possible."

Souji nodded. "Thank you, Kamichika. This is more than enough."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Yosuke mumbled under his breath as he rubbed his nose, looking rather pleased with what Rio had said.

The girl, whose face was a little flushed, looked away from the two undergraduates standing in front of her. "U-um, so..."

"Yes, please carry on," Souji requested, gently poking Yosuke's side with his elbow. Recognising it as a sign that the silver-haired adolescent was trying to tell him not to get too carried away, Yosuke nudged him back with the heel of his left foot.

"...The student who passed away..." Rio started, redirecting her attention to the pair. "I think you've heard about him too, Seta-senpai. It's Yagiri Seiji-san...from class 3A."

***

Yagiri Seiji, age 17. Born on June 13, 1995. Passed away on April 14, 2013. Only living biological family member known currently is his older sister, Yagiri Namie, who was previously the head of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals.

He was attending Raira Academy since the year 2011, and had a tendency to skip lessons and play truant. Teachers and students alike described him as strange, rude, and aloof. Few people in school knew him personally, which included his alleged girlfriend, Harima Mika, who was assigned to the same class as he throughout the years of his education at Raira Academy.

Yagiri Seiji was found dead on April 14, 2013. His body was discovered in an alley by two people - Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya - whose purposes for being in such a remote place are currently ambiguous. Allegedly it was a Russian man named Semyon Brezhnev who called the police, and all three men were taken to the station to record their statements. Forensic pathologists sent to the site confirmed that the deceased had died of unnatural causes, with a time of death at exactly 12.01 in the morning.

A more detailed examination revealed that there were no signs of struggle found on Yagiri Seiji's body, neither were there any fatal wounds nor lethal poisons or harmful chemicals detected. The coroner had also confirmed that the deceased's vital organs were perfectly functional, so it was impossible for the cause of death to be sudden organ failure. The possibility of suicide, too, was eliminated as the deceased expressed no suicidal tendencies, according to Harima Mika's statement. Further investigation will be needed to confirm the cause of death.

But the fifth in the Shirogane line of detectives knew that it would be a fruitless search.

***

A man in his twenties found himself alone in his apartment that day.

He had slept in - a rare occurrence by itself - and woke up to find no breakfast or lunch prepared for him, which was yet another unusual sight. But it wasn't unexpected.

When he noticed the envelope placed on his work desk, he simply smiled, and walked over to sit in his swivel chair. While waiting for his computer to finish loading, the man reached out from his chair to take the envelope, feeling its contents with his fingers. Instinctively, he turned to face one of his many bookshelves on the second floor, eyes landing on the empty space between the books of the topmost shelf.

Seemingly amused, the man placed the envelope down onto the table. Then he rested his chin on the back of both of his hands, staring at the screen intently.

"...Really, Namie, you're such a despicable woman," he muttered. "But that's just what makes humans like you so fascinating to watch. Wouldn't you agree?"

Silence answered him.

Izaya's smirk widened.


	7. April 15 2013, Daytime to Evening

**April 15, 2013**

"...So you knew the victim, huh?" Yosuke asked, a little melancholically, after he and Souji thanked Kamichika for answering all of their queries and the girl left for home.

"Well, not exactly." Souji shrugged. "Apparently, he nearly quit school to look for a girlfriend."

The brunet shot him a look of disbelief. "...That, uh, sounds a little too extreme. Are you sure you heard it correctly?" But then again, he realised, it was Souji. Souji rarely makes any mistakes, and when he does, he's quick and brave enough to admit them. Though he does have a tendency to be a little dense, which is rather amusing.

In response to Yosuke's question, the silver-haired adolescent hummed, suddenly appearing as though he were contemplating something. "Maybe something got messed up when more people spread the rumours. Like how the original rumour of the Midnight Channel got more unbelievable as time passed and more people in Inaba learnt about it."

"Huh, well that does make sense. After all, rumours always get too far-fetched in the end." The brunet then noticed that they were going slightly off-track and shook his head. "Anyway, let's get going. If we don't hurry, all of the students from Class 3A are gonna leave school."

"Ah...right." Souji nodded. "Come on, I know the quickest way there."

Using the nearest staircase, the pair rushed to the floor directly below them and past some rooms before arriving at their destination, which was right in the corner at the end of the line of the many Third Year classrooms.

They peered into the interior, noticing only two students - a male and a female - who remained in the classroom, performing their clean-up duty. The male student had raven black hair and aqua blue eyes, and was sweeping the floor while the bespectacled copper brown-eyed female student, whose black hair reached her chin, was wiping the black board. The classroom was enveloped in awkward silence.

The moment Yosuke landed his eyes on the girl, he couldn't help but blush. Then he tugged at Souji's arm, dragging him away from the classroom without giving Souji time to respond. The brunet leaned forward and whispered excitedly, "Dude, what the hell is with this school? Why are there so many cute girls here?!"

"Calm do--"

"More importantly, why didn't you tell me about this? And how have you not hit on anyone yet? If I were you I would have tried striking up a conversation with--"

"Yosuke, please calm down..." The silver-haired adolescent was sighing and shaking his head in exasperation, unable to keep up with his friend's energy; whenever Yosuke was like this, Souji often found himself being worn out sooner than he expected.

"O-oh, sorry partner," the brunet replied, sounding a little bit more composed. "But seriously, that girl over there? Don't you think a figure like that is...y'know, a little unfair?" Yosuke's face turned a deeper shade of red as he continued.

In response, Souji simply shrugged, knowing that if he were to add on anything onto the conversation, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"Man, her boyfriend must be one lucky guy," Yosuke added with a tinge of envy and disappointment. Then, as if he had been struck by a Ziodyne, he jumped backwards, eyes widening. "Oh...oh crap, what if she's Yagiri's...?"

His grey-haired companion was quick to answer, "Don't worry. I doubt Yagiri's girlfriend turned up in school today. It would be too hard on her."

Yosuke visibly relaxed. "Y-yeah, you're right. Gave myself a bit of a scare there, I guess."

Souji seemed relieved that Yosuke appeared to be fine. "Anyway, let's go," he said, reminding his friend of their purpose in being there. The brunet nodded back.

They returned to the entrance of the classroom, and were not disappointed to see that the two students from before were still there, now wiping the desks and chairs. The two undergraduates glanced at each other before giving one another a brief nod. Yosuke cleared his throat, and then he knocked onto the door and slid it open very slightly.

"Uh, excuse me? Could we ask you something?" asked the brunet, who tried to sound as polite as possible, standing near the narrow opening between the door and the wall.

"O-oh, okay!" A timid voice, which clearly belonged to a young boy, answered. It wasn't long before the door was completely open, revealing the raven-haired male student who was holding a wet cloth in his left hand. "Um...may I ask who this is?"

"You can call me Hanamura. This guy here is Seta. He used to be a student here." Souji gave the boy a nod as an indication.

"Oh, I see. Um, I'm Ryuugamine Mikado. It's nice to meet you, Hanamura-san, Seta-senpai," the boy, Mikado, said as he bowed respectfully.

Souji placed his index finger against his chin, appearing deep in thought. "...Air-conditioner..."

"E-eh?" Mikado gave a little jolt at the silver-haired adolescent's comment.

"Ahaha, don't mind what he said. He's always like that," Yosuke laughed as he brushed it off with a wave of his hand.

His partner could only rub the back of his head sheepishly, not knowing whether he should apologise for the seemingly rude remark, or comfort the poor boy who had gone terribly stiff.

"...You know, you, uh, can get up now." It was really awkward to see someone hunched over in front of him for so long, Yosuke decided.

"Oh, that's right, I'm sorry."

After Mikado returned to his upright position, Souji took the opportunity to offer a quick but sincere apology, before he initiated the questioning, "Well, as Yosuke said earlier, we're here to ask you about something. We heard from someone that a classmate of yours was involved in the homicide reported yesterday, and so we were wondering if you know anything about it."

At the sound of the word 'homicide', both Raira Academy students in the room flinched, but while the boy's reaction was more obvious, the female recovered quickly and was back to wiping the tables before Souji and Yosuke noticed. The latter quickly added, "Oh but, if you don't want to talk about it, then..."

Mikado shook his head. "It's alright. Please go ahead."

"Well...okay then." Yosuke scratched his head, wondering how he should phrase his questions such that they didn't make the situation any more uncomfortable for the younger male and his classmate. "Did you notice anything strange with Yagiri before the, uh, incident? Like...was he acting different from his usual self?"

"Not...really." The Third Year sounded a little unsure. "I don't really know him that well, so..."

"Wait," the brunet said without thinking. "Did he go missing? Or, more like, did you hear anything about him going missing?”

"Mm…no, I don’t think so…" Ryuugamine replied, tilting his head to the side slightly. Whether it was done intentionally or not, only he himself knew. Regardless, it lowered Hanamura's guard, while Seta's face carried no emotion.

The grey-haired undergraduate chose to ask about something else, deciding that he and Yosuke had gathered sufficient information concerning the victim.

"Then, have you heard about any unusual rumours lately?" Souji began vaguely.

Mikado fidgeted. "Um, 'unusual', as in...?"

"We know about the Headless Rider," Yosuke elaborated. "And things like the Slasher making a reappearance."

For some reason, the two Raira students froze again, but the both of them regained their composure swiftly. Still, it did not escape Souji's eyes, though the leader of the Investigation Team decided against asking them about it; he didn't want them to think that he was prying too much and invading their privacy.

Yosuke seemed to have caught his drift. "To be more specific, we were wondering if you've heard a rumour concerning television sets on rainy nights."

Mikado nearly heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, well, no."

"I see..." Souji refrained from frowning as he gathered all the facts in his mind.

While it was true that the body of Yagiri Seiji was found in a similar condition as those in the Inaba serial murders, that was the only similarity that they shared. There were no reports of the victim going missing prior to his death, for instance. And just as what Ryuugamine and Kamichika had both told him, there didn't seem to be anyone who knew about the Midnight Channel, so it was unlikely for Yagiri to have appeared on the programme.

In the end, were he and Yosuke simply overthinking things? Could it have been a copycat killer like Kubo, after all?

Of course, the testimonies of only two people wouldn't be sufficient in order to arrive at a conclusion, especially since they were Third Year students; they'd rather pay more attention to their studies than to rumours floating around the city, so there still was no way of telling whether the Midnight Channel existed other than to try it out and see for himself.

Then, there was also something else that they hadn't asked about yet...

"...Fog," Souji mumbled under his breath absentmindedly. He then spoke in a louder voice, "Was there any fog yesterday?"

Yosuke drew a sharp breath, realising that he, too, had completely forgotten about that particular key area that tied all the potential victims to the serial murders in Inaba.

Mikado rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...it did get a little foggy in the morning..."

"The morning?" Yosuke echoed. "I see... No wonder we never noticed any fog yesterday," he said, turning to look at Souji who nodded back in agreement.

"So there's only one thing left to do, then," the brunet asserted, before he faced Mikado again. "Thanks, Ryuugamine. You've been a great help."

The Third Year scratched his cheek and chuckled nervously.

"Oh, and sorry for disturbing!" Yosuke raised his voice a little as he winked, his statement obviously aimed at the other student in the classroom who had been strangely quiet throughout the entire conversation. The girl simply tossed him a neutral glance, and then she paid no more attention to him. Noticing the detachment in her reaction, Souji cleared his throat and poked his companion's arm with a finger. Yosuke merely scratched it like he would an itch, completely oblivious to his partner's hint.

The pair thanked Mikado once again, and then they turned with the intention to leave the school and head for home. From where he was standing, the raven-haired boy could hear them murmuring, but couldn't pick out any precise words or phrases from their conversation. He turned slightly, just enough to steal a glance at his classmate.

He noticed the faint look of fear that flashed across Sonohara-san's features before she continued her clean-up duty diligently and silently.

Mikado frowned, then turned back to watch as the two undergraduates disappeared down the stairs, rubbing the wet cloth in his hand gingerly.

***

"...The body was found draped over a public lamp post," Naoto murmured to herself, looking over the files containing her copy of the confidential documents detailing the homicide. "According to Orihara-san's statement, he had knocked into the lamp post while passing through the alley, and following that, he felt something drip onto him. When he used the light coming from his phone, he realised that it had been blood, and that was when Orihara-san found the body.

"Tall buildings surround the alley, making it narrow and difficult to walk through, so not many people would wander into it. Moreover, the buildings hid the lamp post from view, so it wouldn't be wrong to conclude that if Orihara-san and Heiwajima-san weren't there, the body would never be discovered..."

' _\--In other words, we got lucky._ '

Naoto sighed, and closed the file.

"It's just like before..." she whispered, frowning. "The victims died from causes that are not of this world, and were discovered hanging from objects of certain height. Passers-by also mentioned a fog that set in during the morning, but it was gone not long after, which would explain why Senpai and Hanamura-senpai didn't notice any fog. Furthermore, Harima Mika said in her statement that Yagiri Seiji had gone missing a few hours before his death, yet another similarity with the victims of the Inaba serial murder case."

The young detective stopped to lean into her leather chair. She folded her arms, closed her eyes, and then she took a deep breath before she released it slowly. When she was done, Naoto lightly shook her head.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Shirogane," she berated herself, taking yet another deep breath. "There's still a key point which hasn't been confirmed yet. Until then, this case is unrelated to the case in Inaba. Treat it like you would a normal homicide."

Despite her efforts to convince herself, she could feel the doubt lingering in her mind, taking the form of Yamato Takeru flittering about as if trying to warn her about something.

While her Persona rarely spoke, Naoto could usually feel his presence and his every movement within her. It seemed to be Yamato Takeru's way of communicating with her, so whenever she sensed him shifting around, Naoto had to deduce what he was trying to convey with his actions. To others, this might seem like an impossible feat; after all, how could you tell what someone is saying through body language when you can't see it in the first place? But perhaps since Yamato Takeru was a part of her, there really was no need to actually _see_ him in order to understand him.

So from the way he was flying about and making spins in the air - at least, that was how it felt like to Naoto - Yamato Takeru was definitely concerned about something about the case. Though what exactly, Naoto couldn't pinpoint at the moment. Since her Persona's anxiety often translated into her own, however, it was making her rather unsettled, and so the detective picked up Orihara's file and began looking through it carefully again, resolved not to leave any stone unturned.

At first glance there wasn't anything out of the ordinary with Orihara's statement. It sounded logical, for it would explain why the two men were there, and how they had chanced upon the corpse. However, Naoto couldn't ignore the feeling that there was something suspicious about the man's statement.

Firstly, why did Heiwajima chase after Orihara if Orihara was the ordinary citizen he claimed to be? Heiwajima said that he detested the other man and that they were enemies, but on what basis, exactly? Was there something more to their relationship than what it seemed on paper? Residents said that it was common to see them fight and cause collateral damage, but nobody could offer a valid explanation as to what resulted in that.

Another thing that struck as odd was that Orihara hinted to the policeman recording his statement that Heiwajima had a motive for killing Yagiri Seiji. He told the policeman that Heiwajima had once gotten into a scuffle with Yagiri, who stabbed the former using ballpoint pens. Indeed, such fights were not uncommon motives for murder, but there was a clear lack of evidence, and thus it would be unreasonable to pinpoint Heiwajima as a suspect.

There must be some concrete reason why Orihara was convinced that Heiwajima deserved to be prosecuted by the law, though. So, if they were truly enemies, as Heiwajima asserted, then it would make perfect sense.

'... _Therefore, the only likely explanation for the inconsistencies in their statements is that Orihara-san was not being completely honest.'_  That was the conclusion that Naoto arrived at and, perhaps, it was what Yamato Takeru wanted to bring her attention to as well.

But Yamato Takeru was still fluttering about, almost like a dragonfly dancing around in circles, as if there was something that she was still missing. Or, rather, that she was on the wrong track; that she shouldn't have been paying attention to Orihara Izaya's words but something else altogether.

' _What are you trying to tell me, Yamato Takeru?_ ' the young detective wondered. Then, she caught her own mistake, and shook her head. ' _No...what am_ I _trying to tell myself? Is there something that I have yet to be aware of?_ '

Naoto flipped the page, only to find nothing else remaining. She closed the file to take the one with Heiwajima Shizuo's name written on top, and went straight to the last page - a closing comment by the police officers who recorded his statement. The same could be said for Samia Brezhnev's folder.

That was when the detective realised that was nothing about the witnesses themselves in all three folders. It wasn't anything unusual, of course, since collating the witnesses' particulars like the age and address was not part of the protocol when taking statements. But for reasons unknown to even herself, Naoto had a feeling - a detective's intuition, as one might say - that such information held a key to understanding the case.

Immediately Naoto reached out for the office phone and pressed the quick dial. The phone rang twice before Naoto heard someone pick up. "Yes?" a deep, male voice answered.

"Good afternoon. This is Shirogane speaking."

"Ahh, Detective Shirogane. How may I help you?"

Naoto decided to go straight to the point. "Sir, I would like to enquire if it is possible for you to send me information about the three men who were near the site where the body of Yagiri Seiji was discovered. After looking over their statements, I believe that such information may prove to be helpful."

"That won't be a problem, Detective. My only request is that you give us some time for that."

"Certainly."

There was a slight pause. "Though I'd have to warn you...I don't think we'll be able to provide you with accurate information about one of those witnesses."

That was to be expected, but still, it got Naoto curious. "May I know who that would be?"

"It's Orihara Izaya, the one who first found the body."

Naoto could feel Yamato Takeru's movements become sharper and swifter at the mention of that name. Her eyes narrowed. "I see...and you never tried to search for his true particulars?"

"We did, but then every time we do, we'd find another source that contradicts what we've found. Detective, you ought to understand, we're not dealing with an ordinary citizen here."

Naoto said nothing.

The police officer took it as his cue to continue. "Well, of course, he's not involved in any major crime that we know of, but we've had men fish for information about him before, just in case, and we never failed to hit some snags eventually. He can be a pretty shady guy."

"...Is that so?" the detective replied, sounding disappointed despite the fact that childlike excitement was steadily building up within her.

Who is this man exactly? What does he do for a living that he has to go to such an extent to hide his personal information? What is his true relation to the man named Heiwajima Shizuo? Such questions filled her mind, and her desire to solve the mystery known as Orihara Izaya elevated with every second. It was for the fun of solving such mysteries that Naoto became a detective; became the person she is today.

She wouldn't deny that she was feeling rather exhilarated at having yet another enigma appear before her eyes. But of course, Naoto wouldn't let the thrill distract her from being the professional detective she was. After all, her true purpose in coming to Ikebukuro was to find the culprit responsible for the murder of Yagiri Seiji, as well as find out if it was related to the murders in Inaba. Figuring out who Orihara-san is would only be secondary.

"...Detective?"

Naoto shook her head, realising that she must've had been too deep in thought. "My apologies. I was considering the next possible course of action to take."

"No, no, it's quite alright. Take your time." Although the man had said that, Naoto could hear a hint of impatience in his tone, which was not-so-subtly condescending.

"Well," she began, deciding not to pay any attention to what her current colleague had said earlier, "if it isn't too much trouble, please also send me photographs of the three men. It would be useful to know how they look like, especially Orihara-san since he was the first to discover the body."

"With all due respect, Detective Shirogane, I highly doubt that would--"

"In case you didn't know, sir, the student who discovered the first body in the Inaba serial murder case ended up as a victim." Naoto paused. When all she heard over the phone was silence, she continued, "This is merely a safety precaution. I hope you can co-operate with me."

"...Understood. I'll send them over to you via email."

"I appreciate it." Shirogane nodded. "Oh, and one more thing. Please contact the local news broadcasting station to ensure that any interviews with the people who discovered the body do not go on air. In fact it would be ideal if no such interviews are conducted at all."

"Huh? But...why not? Their confidentiality will be assured of. And it would be better for the public to know more about the case so that they can keep track of it."

"That may be the case, but we need to reduce as many similarities with the Inaba murders as possible. That way, we can conclude if this is indeed related to the serial murders, or something else altogether."

The man clicked his tongue softly. "Detective, we don't have complete control over the media. Information is bound to be leaked somehow. It won't be long till the public finds out the identities of the people who found the body."

' _Yes, and that is what worries me,'_ Naoto thought with a frown, recalling the exact flow of events that led to the kidnapping of the potential victims while she was investigating the murder case back in Inaba.

"Regardless," she said, "as long as we can withhold key information, even for a limited amount of time, we'll have an advantage over the killer."

Her colleague's grumble did not escape her.

"Please...this is a crucial period. We mustn't waste any time."

"...Very well. I'll do my best."

The young detective nodded to herself, despite the man's reluctance to follow her instructions. "Thank you. Have a good day, sir."

"You too, Detective."

After she heard the click and beeping that indicated to her that the man had hung up, Naoto placed the phone down, then leaned into her chair once more. She stared up at the ceiling, folding her arms in her lap as she did so, before she closed her eyes and heaved a sigh while she waited for the email to arrive.

It was during this moment of tranquillity that Naoto could once again sense Yamato Takeru's presence, feeling his warm, sunny glow wash over her. He had skid to a halt, and was gliding around the depths of her subconscious gracefully, as if he were a dolphin in a boundless sea, spreading his light to every part of her.

And, just briefly, but surely, Naoto heard a voice; oddly similar to hers, but in a much deeper, more masculine, tone. It was muffled, almost like listening to someone else speak while fully submerged in water, but at the same time it was loud and coherent, as though the owner of the voice was whispering directly into her ear.

Naoto froze.

_"Keep going,"_ was all the voice had said, before it melted away into nothingness.

Then she relaxed and allowed herself to smile.

***

Exhausted from a day's worth of college and running around, Souji and Yosuke decided to take shortest path back to their apartment. The exited the school compounds, and stepped into Ikebukuro's streets, greeted by the lazy late afternoon crowd that sparsely filled the area.

Yosuke yawned as he raised both his hands in the air and stretched.

"In the end," he started, tiptoeing for a bit while he walked alongside his grey-haired companion, "we never did manage to find out if this is related to the murders after all."

"Well, at least we gathered some useful information."

"Yeah, I guess." The brunet briefly glanced up at the sky. "Oh yeah...we were so busy that I hadn't realised that today's the day that..."

Souji gave his best friend a concerned look. "Yosuke..."

Yosuke shook his head. "Don't worry, partner. I'm fine. Really."

Souji didn't doubt that, but still, he couldn't help but feel worried for his friend.

They walked in silence thereafter, Yosuke with his arms folded and Souji with a hand on his hip. Both kept their eyes on the ground as they moved along the pavement, watching the tiles turn a darker shade of orange as time passed.

The pair made a turn, and then another. Moments passed before they found themselves standing at a four-way junction, looking from left to right. People and cars fell into their line of vision wherever they faced.

The two adolescents were about to proceed along that left path when they heard familiar accentuated Japanese calling out to them.

"Ohhh, Souji! And friend!"

"Hm?" The pair tilted their heads back, noticing a dark-skinned man clad in a sushi chef outfit standing behind them. Souji blinked, a little dazedly, and then he smiled. "Ah, Simon-san."

Simon gave the two younger males a broad, warm smile. "It nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you again too, Simon-san."

The Russian's eyes fell on the brunet next to Souji. He couldn't resist the urge to clap his hands out of glee, which produced a rustling sound as the flyers in his hands rubbed against each other. "This must be Yo-su-ke, yes?"

"Y-yup! It is!" Yosuke bit his lower lip in an effort to stop himself from laughing at the alien pronunciation of his name. "It's, ah, great to actually see you in person, Simon-san."

Simon nodded enthusiastically, apparently sharing the same sentiments as the brunet. Then, as if remembering something important, Simon quickly flattened the flyers in his possession before he took one of them and held it out to Yosuke.

"Sushi?" asked the Russian, who had put on his most convincing smile.

"T-that's okay, really. I already tried it." The brunet desperately raised his hand, declining the offer as politely as he could endeavour.

Not at all bothered by the gesture, Simon tucked the flyer back into the pile he had in his hands. "It yummy, no? I recommend raw beef sushi. It new on menu. Very fresh."

"Ah, we ordered that yesterday," Souji chipped in, looking as though he was in a hurry to stop Yosuke from giving his honest comments about his lunch. "We also got ourselves some of the other sushi you have on your recommendations list."

"Good, good. Sushi fill stomach, give you energy." Then, out of the blue, Simon's face fell, and he shook his head. "Different from fighting. Fighting no good. Eat sushi better."

That sounded rather familiar to both adolescents, who fell into a somewhat deep thought as they pondered over where they had heard the Russian's words. "Simon-san, are you, perhaps, referring to what happened yesterday?"

The older man nodded at Souji's question. "They always fighting. I tell them off, but they never listen." He gave an exasperated sigh, his shoulders sinking as he did so.

"Who exactly are they?"

Simon blinked, appearing slightly confused. "Souji does not know? But you live here for one year already."

"I don't really go out that often," the silver-haired undergraduate explained. "Aside from school and going to Russia Sushi."

"Hmm...so Souji never see them fight before. That very strange." The Russian's brows were furrowed, as if tied together by an invisible thread. "It better if you not involved. You saw, yes? And yet you wish to know more?" he added, carefully regarding the two teens standing before him.

Before Yosuke could protest, Souji answered with a determined nod, "Yes. Please do tell me about them."

The brunet shot his partner an incredulous look, as if to ask "You really wanna know that badly, don't you?" Souji gave a sheepish shrug back.

"I see." The frown that was etched onto Simon's features suddenly turned into a warm smile. "Then we shall talk over sushi! It will be long story, and you will go hungry. And that no good, no good at all. So I order big portion for you, then can eat more and fill stomach. Yes?"

All colour on Yosuke's face drained considerably.

***

Night soon descended upon the city.

Despite that, the hassle of urban life still continued. Cars drove along the roads, buildings lit up like beautifully decorated Christmas trees, humans dominated the streets...

One has to admit that Ikebukuro can be quite a pretty sight at night, especially when one takes in an aerial view of the city while perched on a metal railing on the rooftop of a skyscraper building situated in the heart of the metropolis.

Izaya leaned over from where he was standing, keeping his hands in his pockets as he watched from above. "Truly marvellous," he breathed, letting the cool evening breeze sweep over him.

"I don't see what's so spectacular about it. It looks the same every night."

The informant looked over his shoulder, appearing unfazed that his human observation time had been interrupted by the dry comeback. "Ah, so nice of you to join me, Namie. And I see you've brought a friend, too. Just as I asked for. What a good girl, I should reward you."

"You falling to your death right now would be the perfect way to do that."

"How cruel of you. I do sign your paychecks, you know." Izaya shook his head in mock disappointment.

Namie gave him a scornful look. "I don't work for you anymore."

"Yes, I believe you've already made your intention clear in your letter of resignation." The raven took the envelope out from one of his jacket pockets, keeping it clipped between his index and middle fingers as he waved it. "But I never did say that I accepted it, did I?"

"I couldn’t care less about that."

"Is this how you react when the only object you deem as deserving of your affection is gone? I must admit, it really is quite intriguing to see you getting this uptight."

Knowing that any emotional reaction from her was what the informant wanted to see, Namie focused on keeping as calm and composed as she could. Being mindful of her words and body language, Namie simply maintained her emotionless exterior, and set Celty's head onto the ground next to her while remaining where she was.

Izaya hummed in amusement, but otherwise remained silent as he continued observing the woman's every move.

Finally deciding that silence and watchful gazes would not get her anywhere, Namie folded her arms, standing firm beside the container containing the Dullahan's severed head. "I'm sure you know what I'm here for."

"Why of course. How may I be of service, Yagiri Namie-san?" Izaya spoke while he casually walked across the railing, raising both arms as he balanced himself.

The young woman pointedly ignored the information broker's antics. "I want to know who killed my brother."

"Hmm, unfortunately, I have nothing of value to offer concerning that at the moment. Whoever it is must have been quite a professional, I must add."

Namie's eyes narrowed slightly. "Elaborate."

"Well, there is nothing indicating of a fatal wound found on Yagiri-kun's body. That leaves poison as the next possible alternative, but alas, there are no signs of Yagiri-kun having been poisoned, either, so naturally, one would expect the cause of death to be a terminal illness, but you, of all people, should know that that isn't likely."

"..."

"The police have their hands tied up with this case. Up until now, they haven't found a possible suspect. Ahh, but they did consider Shizu-chan as one, though they let him off due to lack of evidence. What a shame.” Despite saying that, the smirk never left Izaya's face. He continued circling around Namie, watching her intently. “If you want an honest opinion, I doubt they have discovered any new leads ever since Yagiri-kun's body was found. Well, it’s still early into the investigation, after all. Who knows? I may have a satisfying answer for you in one second, one minute, one day…oh, the possibilities are endless!"

Namie stared back at the informant coolly. "I heard you were there when Seiji was found."

"Ahh, indeed I was. What of it? Jealous that you weren't the first to find your beloved brother and that it had to be me, of all people, who did?"

Namie kept her eyes on him, but said nothing.

"Or perhaps you're angry that the police took his body away. You've always been rather possessive of him, after all. What twisted love. Speaking of which, dare I ask what have you done to Mika-chan? She was there when Yagiri-kun went missing, if I’m not wrong. Do you blame her for not keeping an eye on your beloved brother? Or maybe you...”

Namie finally let out a soft sigh, and directed her attention away from the informant.

Then, without another word, Namie picked up the sleeping head and headed for the door, leaving her former employer behind talking to himself on the roof with the view of Ikebukuro as his only companion.


	8. April 16 2013, Daytime to Evening

_There was nothing laid before him._

_Just an endless, empty space, shrouded in mist._

_He couldn't shrug off the feeling that he found the scene familiar, but when he tried to remember when he had experienced this sensation before, all that he could draw as a blank._

_A blank...just like this white, soulless world he was in._

_"Oh...so you're here again," a voice whispered to him._

_It reverberated throughout the plain, as if the voice was one with this world._

_It was yet again something else about this place that he found familiar._

_He was certain now, as confirmed by the voice, that he had indeed been here before, but the details of his previous visit escaped him. It was like reaching out to grasp a shapeless memory that he knew he once remembered but now remained forgotten. It made him feel...empty, somehow._

_"I'll help you regain what you've lost," the voice said encouragingly, temptingly. "Don't worry, you're never alone..."_

_Hesitantly, he made a step forward._

***

**April 16, 2013**

"Ugh... G'morning..."

"Good morning," Souji greeted without looking up from the cup of coffee he was drinking from. He took a sip, then placed the cup down. "You sound tired. Didn't sleep well last night?"

"Like I want to hear that coming from someone who is having nothing but coffee in the morning..." Yosuke groaned as he pulled out a chair across Souji. The moment he sat down, his face met the dining table. The silver-haired adolescent nearly chuckled at the sight; it reminded him of his first day at Yasogami High.

"Putting that aside, how are you feeling?"

"Still kinda crappy. But at least," the brunet paused to yawn, "I don't feel like throwing up anymore. Not like the first time I ate that."

Souji brewed another cup of coffee for his friend, who took up the kind offer and slurped the caffeinated drink.

They were still reeling from the exhaustion of the previous day's events, the last being a long talk with Simon over dinner at the restaurant he worked at. Said dinner included a wide spread of suspicious-looking sushi, the kind that Yosuke actively tried to avoid. But there was simply no way to do that when the chef was around, so Yosuke had to oblige and eat it.

It was worth it, however.

"Can't believe that we managed to find out that it was Heiwajima Shizuo-san and Orihara Izaya-san who found the body, though. Who would've thought?"

"I'm not surprised. No interviews were shown, after all." Souji folded his arms and leaned back into the chair. The gears in his head started to turn. "There's something strange about that, though..."

"Oh, you find it weird too?" Yosuke sprung into life. "Normally the media'd be all over it, but aside from the news shown on the day the body was found, there's practically no other coverage. It's like they're keeping stuff from the public, even though people are already starting to hear things like the identity of the victim."

Souji gave a firm nod. "On top of that, where exactly they heard it from is unclear. Simon-san was nearby, so I can understand...but that place is very remote. I doubt anyone else was there, and Simon-san doesn't discuss these things with just anyone. Kamichika also mentioned that people wouldn't want to get into trouble by spreading the information, so who...?"

The brunet heaved a frustrated sigh. "The more we know about this case, the more questions we have. Dammit..."

They grew quiet after that, neither party knowing how to continue the conversation and contribute to understanding their situation more.

It was times like this that they wished their teammates were with them.

While Yosuke was more of the ideas person, Souji was the one with the talents and abilities required to carry them out. But in the end, that was all they could do.

And that was when the rest of the team came in, making up for what Souji and Yosuke themselves lacked in.

Satonaka, for instance, would say the first thing that came to her mind, and sometimes she actually hit the nail right on the head. Amagi would ask thought-provoking questions, leading the team to explore areas they never thought of before to enhance their understanding of the case, even if these areas had little to no relation to the case itself.

And while Kanji wasn't one to offer new insights, he said what needed to be said in order to keep the team focused on their aim, making sure that nobody lost sight of what they were fighting for. In contrast, Naoto reiterated information and sorted out facts, looking at the case from different angles and considering all aspects possible.

Rise would cheer everyone on, and give them the motivation they needed to press on. Teddie, too, acted as moral support and brightened up the atmosphere by making puns and encouraging everybody to have fun.

But they weren't here.

Souji and Yosuke sat in silence, not knowing whether to change the topic. They hadn't realised that the apartment had been enveloped in sudden darkness until they heard the sound of rain pattering against glass.

"...Just as the weather forecast predicted," Souji mumbled to himself before he got up from his seat to close the windows.

Yosuke soon followed suit. He stood next to his partner, watching the dark clouds drift by and raindrops trickle down the glass. "Looks like another storm," he remarked grimly with his arms folded.

"Yeah..."

The brunet turned to face his leader. "So, today's the day, huh? The day when we can finally confirm with our own eyes if the Midnight Channel still exists?"

Souji nodded mutely.

"Heh, you know...I'm actually pretty excited."

The silver-haired adolescent didn't seem surprised to hear that.

Yosuke smiled wryly. "Part of me hopes that it's not gone, that the case is still unsolved, that we would need to use our Personas again. I won't lie about that." Then he glanced away, in an effort to escape Souji's unwavering gaze. "It's pretty funny. I thought I'm not like that anymore. I mean, I changed, didn't I? Isn't Susano-O proof of that?"

Souji's decision to remain silent allowed Yosuke the opportunity to continue spilling out his feelings. "But I guess that part of me will always remain no matter how much I change, huh? Even when someone's turned up dead, I'm still..." His shoulders sunk as he gave a resentful sigh, one that was obviously directed at himself. "This sucks. I know I shouldn't be feeling this way, but I..."

"Yosuke," Souji finally spoke, his voice carrying such gentleness and warmth that the brunet instantly looked up at him. A smile full of understanding was painted on Souji's face. "I've said it before, didn't I? Believe in yourself, and believe in us. You don't have to force yourself to change so quickly. Even if that part of you doesn't change, we'll always be here for you. That's what friends are for, right?"

Yosuke stared at him blankly, his stunned expression frozen in place. Then he choked on his own laughter, before he finally gave a relieved smile. "...Yeah. Yeah, I know. I was just..." Yosuke rubbed his nose in an embarrassed fashion. "Thanks, partner. I don't know what came over me back there. I mean, you just lost someone recently too, but now you're listening to my crap when I should be the one who..."

"It's okay," Souji replied soothingly, casting his best friend a concerned gaze.

The brunet fidgeted. "...But...but seriously, dude, you say the cheesiest of things sometimes. What are you, a writer for a soap opera?"

Souji couldn't help but laugh as he shook his head.

"Still..." Yosuke was soft, his voice masked by the sound of rain beating the windows, but the close proximity of the pair allowed Souji to hear his words. "If it all turns out to be related to the other world, and if we're going to have to go there again... Whatever it is, I'll face it straight-on. And if anything happens to you, partner, or to any of the others, just know that I'll do whatever it takes to protect you guys. It's the least I can do, right?"

Grey eyes widened slightly at the declaration. Then, they softened, the edges of Souji's lips rising as he gave a light nod. "I'll be counting on you for that, then, partner."

Yosuke beamed before he nodded back.

***

"Hey, did you hear? About Yagiri Seiji-kun from Class 3A?"

"I heard, I heard! His body was found hanging from a lamp post, right? So scary..."

Whisper, whisper.

"Eh?! Then, the homicide that the news mentioned the other day... The victim was Yagiri-san?!"

"Shh! Not so loud! You wouldn't want the teachers to know that we know, would you?"

Murmur, murmur.

"Oh yeah, and you know his girlfriend? That Harima Mika person? Apparently, she didn't come to school yesterday..."

"Huh? What's so weird about that?"

"Fufu...well, the thing is, I saw her just now! She looked a little different, but you can't go wrong with that hideous scar on her neck. Oh and get this: she was all smiles, like nothing ever happened!"

"Ehhh? Her boyfriend just passed away, and she can still be in high spirits? How cold..."

"Maybe her love for him was fake after all. Poor Yagiri-kun."

Snicker, snicker.

"Putting that aside, I also heard about something else. Apparently, it was not one, but _two_ people who found Yagiri-kun."

"Two people? ...As in, a couple?"

"Pfft, no way! We're talking about Heiwajima Shizuo-san and that man he's always chasing around. Y'know, the man in that fur-trimmed jacket."

"Ohh, that person."

"Hmm...you know, I've always been wondering who that other man really is. I don't think anybody knows his name, right?"

"Huh, come to think of it... I guess...nobody bothered? I mean, practically everyone in Ikebukuro just knows him as the guy who Heiwajima Shizuo-san always chases around. I heard he used to be on the cops’ blacklist, though."

"…But Heiwajima-san always yells out that person’s name whenever the chasing happens, doesn't he?"

"Oh he does? I never really pay attention. Ah, whatever. More importantly, don't you think he looks kinda cool?"

"You too?! Ahhh actually I think both of them look really cool...but Heiwajima-san is a bit scary..."

"I totally hear you."

Giggle, giggle; whisper, whisper.

***

Sonohara Anri wasn't one to be easily swayed by rumours. Or at least, that was what she thought.

The life she had led followed a very simple principle: depend on others in order to have a peaceful life, without being too emotionally invested. One could label it as being synonymous with the relationship between a parasite and its host, which, in her opinion, was the most precise illustration of the relationships she had with the people around her.

To deny that it was a horrible way of life would be lying, but to Anri, it was necessary. After all, parasites don't stop leeching off from their hosts just because it is a despicable act.

But because she knew that it was awful of her to do so, Anri never believed herself to be capable of initiating relationships with others. She always had to wait for other people to approach her before she would be willing to let down her walls and enter their world. Once things got out of hand, however, Anri wouldn't hesitate to run into her own world of isolation and watch things unfold in a series of picture frames as a means to protect herself.

It didn't mean that she was running away from reality. It was just that the best way to handle desperate circumstances was to view it with indifference. That was all there was to it.

So being within that world of indifference she constructed for herself, Anri thought that things like rumours and gossips wouldn't affect her in the least. But perhaps meeting the people she regarded as friends changed all that.

Now if she heard of any rumours that her friends' safety might be threatened, Anri wouldn't hesitate to get to the bottom of things and eliminate such threats to ensure that they wouldn't be in danger. And if she heard of any rumours that concerned her friends, Anri would pay close attention to them and keep those rumours in mind.

She was quite bewildered when she realised it at first, but as time passed she got used to it, taking it as a sign that her life was changing; a sign that she was moving on instead of being frozen in time.

That was why when she heard that Harima-san was back in school, Anri didn't hesitate to run to the classroom from the school gates, wanting to confirm it with her own eyes.

Although they no longer talked to each other like they did in middle school, Anri still couldn't help but find herself worried for Mika's welfare.

_'She just lost someone she cared very deeply for...she must be hurt,'_ Anri thought as she ran. She stopped right outside 3A's classroom, breathing heavily as she placed her hand on the door. _'I just want to see how she's doing.'_

When Anri slid the door open, the sight of a half-empty classroom greeted her. Barely anybody looked up from their books and notes at the sound of somebody opening the door and entering the room. Anri herself paid no attention to her other classmates, as she was only interested in seeing for herself if the rumours were indeed true.

And sure enough, they were. There by the window, in the corner of the classroom, sat Harima Mika. She was in the very last seat in the row, right behind Mikado's seat, staring at the ground and shuffling her feet. Her white hat was on the top of her desk, left alone and forgotten, like its owner now.

Anri bit her lower lip, unsure of how to approach her friend from middle school when she was in such a state. There was no time to ponder over that, however, for Mika had chosen that moment to look up, making eye contact with her. When she saw what the rumours had meant by Mika appearing "different", Anri couldn't suppress the soft gasp that escaped her lips. Her hand instantly flew to cover her mouth.

"Harima...san...?"

Mika didn't seem the least bit bothered by Anri's reaction. Instead, she leapt out from her seat and ran into the bespectacled girl's arms, pulling her into a tight embrace. The surprising gesture left many of her classmates in the room utterly shocked, Anri included.

"U-um, Harima-sa--"

"I'm so glad you're finally here, Anri-chan!" Mika exclaimed, her grip on Anri tightening as if she were clinging onto Anri for her dear life. "It's been so weird for me since this morning... I've had people asking me what I'm doing in school today, and giving me their condolences, and-and-and I saw this horrible scar on my neck when I woke up and looked in the mirror. I don't understand what's going on! Anri-chan, do you know? Can you help me?"

Perplexed at the turn of events, Anri struggled to get free from Mika's grasp, but the other girl didn't show signs of letting her go. "H-Harima-san," she managed to say.

When she detected the slight hint of fear and uncertainty in Anri's voice, Mika's expression turned into one of guilt in an instant. She quickly released her hold on her bespectacled classmate, and meekly turned away.

Anri was about to ask Mika concerning everything she had mentioned earlier, but noticed the stares that they were getting from their classmates. She bowed her head, looking at the ground; she was, quite honestly, at a loss of what she should do.

Over the past two years, Anri had grown used to the indifference that Mika often displayed towards her, so seeing her this affectionate and friendly again was unexpected. And from the way Mika sounded, it seemed as though Mika had lost all her memories of those two years, and had turned back into the Harima Mika in Anri's memories of middle school as a result. But why would she suddenly--

_'Is it because of the shock from knowing about Yagiri-san's death?'_ Anri gave it some more thought. _'But...even if that's the case, then…why does Harima-san look exactly like she did before she met Yagiri-san? It...doesn't make sense...'_

At that moment, Mika slowly tilted her head back, maybe out of precaution since the world she knew seemed to have disappeared so suddenly. That was when Anri found herself staring into chocolate brown eyes in place of the mint green ones Mika had for the past two years. To some extent, she was relieved to see the eyes and hair she was used to, but the whole situation seemed far too bizarre for Anri to swallow.

"Ne, Anri-chan..." Mika suddenly tried again, evidently much calmer than she was before. "Anri-chan knows, right? About what's going on?"

_'No, I don't know at all, Harima-san.'_ Anri kept her head down.

"Anri-chan is acting strange, too..." The brunette commented softly, shuffling her feet. "Anri-chan, did I...forget about something? I thought today is the day we're supposed to sit for the entrance exam to Raira Academy, but then I saw the date and it looks all wrong..."

"...Eh?" Anri looked up. "So, Harima-san has really...?"

"I really what? What is it?" Mika leaned forward, a frown etched on her features from middle school. "Anri-chan, tell me."

"Um, that...that is..."

"U-u-uwaah, S-Sonohara-san!"

Both girls, along with the other students of Class 3A, immediately directed their attention to the raven-haired male standing at the doorway. Face flushed from the unwanted attention, Mikado hurriedly gestured for everyone to settle down and walked towards the two girls. "S-Sensei is looking for us, Sonohara-san," he stammered.

Anri briefly wondered if it was a lie Mikado came up with on the spot, but decided to play along with him for the time being. "O-oh, I see. Um, I'm sorry, Harima-san."

Mika gave Mikado and Anri a suspicious glance, and then she sighed. "I'll ask you again during break, then." With that, she reluctantly returned to her seat where her cap was waiting.

Heaving a quiet sigh of relief, Anri turned to face Mikado with the intention of thanking him, but he suddenly said, "We need to see Sensei now, Sonohara-san."

Anri was a bit taken aback to hear that. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh..." The black-haired boy looked over his friend's shoulder at the brunette sitting silently by the window, and fidgeted. "It's about Harima-san," he mumbled.

"Oh...okay. Then...we should go, right?" the bespectacled girl replied, trying to hide her nervousness.

Mikado nodded, then led the way out of the classroom, with Anri trailing behind him. As they walked together towards the teachers' lounge, Mikado occasionally glanced at Anri, making sure that she was all right. She was oblivious to his gesture, however, appearing deep in thought with her head hung low as she walked alongside him.

It was a very quiet trip to the lounge.

***

The moment the bell chimed to signal the end of school, Mika did not hesitate to pounce onto Anri again, like she did at lunch when she demanded for answers. This time, though, she requested for something different.

"Let's walk home together like we always do, Anri-chan!"

No matter how surreal the current situation still seemed, it was impossible to say no to her, especially after hearing what the teacher said in the morning before lessons started. So Anri tried to smile, and said, "Ah...um, okay." Mika beamed at her reply.

As the pair walked out of the classroom together, Anri tilted her head back and noticed Mikado standing up from his seat. He was waving his phone, which had been flipped open, and making silent gestures with his free hand; she couldn't tell exactly what he was trying to convey, but eventually got the sketchy idea that Mikado was saying that he would contact her later, and nodded at him before she disappeared from his sight.

At the entrance of the school building, Mika nearly stepped outside until she noticed the bad weather that persisted since morning. "Ah, poo, it's still raining," she grumbled as she opened up her umbrella. "And here I thought we could drop by the park or something."

"I-it's okay. We can always go another time," Anri quickly replied, opening up her umbrella as well.

"...If I can remember that." Mika's voice was laced with spite and frustration.

Anri's eyes softened. "Harima-san..."

"Ahh, whatever, I don't care anymore. Let's just go home, Anri-chan."

Mika took off. Anri followed closely behind.

Just as they made a turn from the school gates, the brunette accidentally knocked into someone's shoulder. She couldn't suppress a yelp of surprise at the unexpected contact. "Ow--"

"Ack, s-sorry!" a shaky, male voice answered as the stranger turned, facing the two girls. His eyes fell on Anri. "Huh? Wait, aren't you...?"

"Um, do I know you?" the bespectacled girl asked hesitantly.

Out of precaution, Mika stood in front of her with her free hand outstretched, as if shielding Anri from the person in front of them.

"Woah, take it easy. I don't mean her any harm." The brown-haired adolescent then redirected his attention back to Anri. "Anyway, it's me. You know...Hanamura? The guy who dropped by your class yesterday? You were busy cleaning up, so we never really talked."

"Oh...I remember now." Anri placed a comforting hand on Mika's arm. "It's okay, Harima-san."

With a huff, the brunette let her arm fall to her side. She didn't budge from her position, however, keeping her eyes on the male who referred to himself as Hanamura.

Noticing her evident hostility, Yosuke couldn't help but wince. "Uh... I'm sorry I bumped into you." He figured it wouldn't hurt to start off with that. "I was kinda in a hurry to meet a friend, so I wasn’t paying attention to what’s around me.”

"And that person is...Seta-san, correct?" Anri had paused for a while in order to recall the other undergraduate's name.

"Yeah, it is. You've got a pretty good memory." Hanamura tossed her a friendly wink as he complimented her. It made her blush slightly.

It was a different case for Mika, however, whose brows creased, clearly unimpressed with what Hanamura had said. When Anri saw that, she began to panic a little. "U-um...! If there's nothing else, may we...?"

"Oh, sorry, hang on for a moment," Yosuke called out before the two girls walked away. "I was wondering if...well, if you happen to know the person who was going out with Yagiri." He failed to notice Anri's flinch. "The thing is, I can understand what she's going through right now. It's a crappy feeling, and I know that it'd be good if she has someone to turn to, so I wanted to just...talk to her, or something. I won't do anything to her, I promise. I just want to talk."

"...Well, you're talking to her now," Mika spat venomously.

Both Yosuke and Anri looked at her in surprise. There was a simultaneous cry of "Huh?" and "Harima-san…?!” in response to what she said.

The brunette scowled. "You said you wanted to talk to Seiji-san's girlfriend. Well, here I am. Say what you want already."

"Uh...okay...?" Yosuke gave her a wary glance. "Are you feeling alright?"

His question only served to make the girl even more upset. "You don't understand at all!" she exclaimed. "Do you know what it's like to wake up and find an ugly scar on your neck for no reason? What it's like to be told that you've lost two years' worth of memories?" Her fingers curled into a tight fist. "Do you know what it's like to have people tell you that you were dating someone you don't even _remember_?"

Yosuke was speechless.

Mika took a deep breath, then released it slowly. "...I thought so," she murmured.

"H-Harima-san..."

Mika gave her friend from middle school a warm smile, a stark contrast to her outburst earlier. "Sorry about that, Anri-chan. Let's go for now, okay?"

Anri nodded numbly, not forgetting to give Hanamura a slight bow before she walked alongside Mika down the pavement. The brunet, disconcerted by what he had just heard, remained where he was, not knowing when to move or what to say.

When they were certain that they were at quite a distance away from the school gates, the two girls slowed down in their steps. Mika hadn't looked up at all since leaving Hanamura shocked and alone in the downpour, which made Anri rather concerned, but the latter chose to remain silent, for she hadn't the faintest idea of what would be an appropriate thing to say.

"Ne, Anri-chan..."

Hearing Mika's voice sound so sorrowful and broken shook Anri out of her stupor.

"When I asked you, during lunch, whether...whether you knew what was going on...you said that I lost my memories of the past two years, right?"

Anri casted her eyes downward solemnly.

"And...you told me...that during those two years, I was dating someone called Yagiri Seiji-san from our class, right? You said that I looked happy with him, and that you were glad for me. But I...I don't remember anything about him..."

Mika started to tremble.

"So why...why am I feeling so sad over the death of someone I don't even know?" The words leaving her lips were beginning to sound like strangled sobs. "It's like my heart is calling out to him, but I don't know how he even looks like, what he sounds like... And I want to know, I want to know everything about him! But if I do, then..."

The brunette reached up to wipe away the tears that were on the brink of spilling over. "Haha...I must look really stupid right now, crying over some stranger because of something another stranger said.”

Anri finally looked up. "Harima-san..."

"I'm fine, Anri-chan. Really," she said, fighting back more tears. "I just didn't like how that Hanamura person tried to help me, that's all. I mean, he said that he understands, but I don't think he does at all.”

Anri didn’t say anything, but inwardly, she did agree with what Mika had said to a certain extent.

"And he's a little weird, too..." The brunette paused, sniffing a little. "You know, I thought he was going to do something to you at first. I mean, he seemed kind of suspicious, talking to you like that when you don’t even really know him in the first place. Then he talked about Seiji-sa--" She quickly shook her head. "Never mind, forget it. We shouldn't be thinking about that Hanamura guy anymore, right Anri-chan?"

“…”

“…Anri-chan?”

"E-eh? O-oh, right.” Anri looked away, her grip on the handle of her umbrella tightening. "Right..."

***

Souji sighed. "I see... So Yagiri's girlfriend doesn't remember anything from the past two years..."

Earlier on in the afternoon, Souji had noticed that his best friend looked rather down when he had gone to meet him at the lobby of the main university building after his tutorial. Despite that, Souji made the wise choice not to ask Yosuke about it, opting to do that only when they both reached home.

The moment they did, Souji had tried to coax Yosuke into telling him, but the brunet still looked uncomfortable about it, and instead promised to tell him everything after dinner. Souji remembered being mildly disappointed, but he agreed anyway, and headed to the kitchen to get started on their meal.

They had eaten together in awkward silence, which Yosuke broke when, out of the blue, he put down his cutlery. He had folded his arms, brows furrowed together, and said, "I saw Yagiri's girlfriend on my way to college just now."

And that was when Souji put away the dishes and listened to Yosuke's story, keeping quiet until Yosuke was done.

In response to the first thing Souji had to say, Yosuke nodded. "Yeah...so I feel really bad now." Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Damn, I shouldn't have said all that crap to her."

"You didn't know, Yosuke.”

"But I should've known _better_." Yosuke's voice was full of guilt and self-directed anger. He closed his eyes, and saw the girl standing before him, one hand gripping onto the handle of her umbrella so strongly her fingers turned pale; the other hand, curled into a tight fist, quivering. He let out another frustrated sigh. "Who am I to think that I really understand what she's going through anyway? I mean, that's just thinking too highly of myself, isn't it? Acting as if I'm some kind of... _hero_ or something when I'm just a nobody to her."

"Yosuke..."

The brunet cut him off, "No, dude. I need to let it out, otherwise I'd just be lying to myself." He stood up from his seat abruptly. "I'm gonna head over to Raira first thing tomorrow morning...then I'll go look for her, and apologise."

Souji mirrored Yosuke’s action. "I'll come with you."

The brunet shook his head. "You don't have to do that, Souji. I don't want you to be late for your lecture tomorrow. I mean, my lecture's in the afternoon, so I'll be fine, but yours is in the morning. I can't have you turning up late just because of something I'm responsible for."

Before the silver-haired adolescent could say anything further, the chime of a familiar ringtone distracted him. Hesitantly, Souji picked up his smartphone and was greeted by a translucent grey box. The text in it read: 'You have 1 new message.'

Without giving it a second thought, Souji swiped across the screen and headed directly to his message inbox. The name of the sender was listed at the top of the screen.

"…A message from Naoto...?"

"Oh, maybe she's just notifying you about her arrival in 'Bukuro," Yosuke suggested, walking over to where Souji was standing and looked over his shoulder.

Souji gave his friend a look that said that their discussion wasn’t over just yet, then tapped on the screen where Naoto's name was displayed and proceeded to read her message together with Yosuke.

"Hmm, looks like she fixed that texting problem. …Uh-huh... So she arrived yesterday, but was too busy to tell us... Ohh! Look! We managed to gather nearly the same amount of info as what she has. I guess that means we're on the right track."

"Yeah...and she’ll be looking into the details of the people who found the body…" Souji nodded distractedly, scrolling upwards to read more of the text the detective had sent. "Hm? This is..."

Yosuke leaned forward. "...Yagiri's girlfriend." He stepped away and folded his arms, frowning slightly. "I see...so her name's Harima Mika. I'll have to keep that in mind when I go look for her tomorrow."

Souji decided against continuing the discussion the both of them had prior to receiving Naoto's message, and remained focused on what the detective had to share with them. He scrolled up a bit more. As he read the last of Naoto's text, his eyes widened slightly.

"...Yosuke."

"Huh?"

The brunet didn't have time to react when his partner suddenly handed him the phone. He simply took it without thinking, then directed his attention to the screen.

"Wait, wha--this..." Yosuke reread the message, trying hard not to let his anxiety get the better of him. "S-Souji, we gotta go! Now!"

"I know," Souji said, already wearing his jacket and grabbing the keys to his scooter. Noticing his actions, Yosuke, too, picked up his jacket draped over his chair and quickly put it on. He returned the electronic device to its owner, who pocketed it.

"C’mon, let’s hurry!”

Souji gave Yosuke an assuring nod, and then the pair left the apartment.

***

_\--Senpai, I am unsure if you already know of this, but the victim of this case, Yagiri Seiji, was dating a classmate from Raira Academy. That student's name is Harima Mika._

_It has come to my attention that Harima-san is currently in a critical condition at the hospital after an attack allegedly by the Slasher. Regretfully, I do not know all the details, and am unable to confirm if the Slasher is linked to the murder of Yagiri-san. But regardless, please do be careful, Senpai. The culprit is currently still at large... I don't wish to see you or Hanamura-senpai getting hurt._

_I will continue to help in any way possible._

_Stay well, Senpai. Please send my regards to Hanamura-senpai as well._

_I look forward to our next meeting._


	9. April 16 2013, Evening: Part One

**April 16, 2013**

_Beep... Beep... Beep..._

That was the first thing Souji and Yosuke heard upon reaching Mika's ward located on the third floor in Ikebukuro Hospital.

While hearing such a stable heart rate was comforting, seeing the state the brunette was in was a completely different matter.

Her neck was elaborately wrapped with a bandage, which must've had been changed recently as blood was beginning to seep through and stain the white fabric. The blood loss from the Slasher attack had left Mika deathly pale; her lips were parched and cracked; her fingernails, chipped; and her hair, dishevelled.

There was an oxygen mask strapped over the lower half of her face, which was slightly contorted in pain from the wound she had received. Mika's breaths were also short and irregular, as though she were clinging onto the very last bit of her life remaining in her fragile body.

Yosuke squirmed. "Is...is she even conscious right now...?" He directed his attention to the tiled flooring. "I mean, that...that wound looks brutal. A-and dude, she's so pale if I compare it to a blank piece of paper I can't tell the difference."

Souji could only nod stiffly. While he, along with Yosuke, had grown used to seeing a wide spectrum of injuries thanks to his experience in the TV world, it was still unsettling to see someone wounded this badly. Additionally, wounds that were inflicted in the Shadows' realm could be healed instantly using the power of Personas. The same, however, could not be said of those inflicted while in the human world.

And unfortunately, Mika's slashed throat belonged to the latter.

"...Ngh...!"

Mika's heart rate suddenly flew into a frenzy.

Souji and Yosuke quickly went to her bedside and called for the nurse, but could otherwise do nothing except watch the brunette gasp for air and writhe in pain. They heard the door behind them slide open and the footsteps of the nurse rushing in. Stepping aside, the pair kept on looking as the nurse tended to the patient.

"I'm sorry, please leave the room for now." They did just that without any hesitation.

The moment they left the ward, they noticed a familiar bespectacled girl sitting right outside the room with her hands folded in her lap. She seemed to have heard the door being closed as she glanced up, and was mildly surprised to see the two of them.

"Um... Seta-san and Hanamura-san...right?" the girl asked as she rose from her seat, her voice barely above a whisper. With the corridor being fairly empty save for the three of them, Souji and Yosuke could hear her clearly.

"Oh, yeah," Yosuke responded. "We seem to bump into each other a lot, huh? Come to think of it...we never did ask for your name, did we?"

Although Yosuke had turned to Souji for an answer, the girl shook her head. "Um, it's...Sonohara Anri."

"Ah, thanks. So, erm, is it okay if to call you Sonohara-chan?"

Anri nodded silently.

"You're Harima-chan's friend, right? Did you come visit her?"

"Y-yes..." Anri replied shakily, but didn't reveal much more, leaving Souji and Yosuke to wonder which question she intended to answer. "And, um, Seta-san and Hanamura-san came here to visit Harima-san, too?"

"Oh, yeah," said Yosuke. "Actually, I was thinking about apologising to her tomorrow for what happened earlier, but then I heard she got attacked by the Slasher, so...."

"Oh... W-where did you hear it from?"

"Uh..." Yosuke had considered telling the shy girl about Naoto, but he didn't want to complicate matters for the detective since she wasn't supposed to disclose information so casually. So instead, he said, "A friend told us about it."

It wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't close enough to the truth, either. Sonohara probably realised that somehow, because she didn't look too convinced by his vague answer. "A...'friend'...?"

"Yes, a friend." Souji decided to play along. "She knows quite a bit about what's going on in Ikebukuro."

"Kinda like a rumourmonger! Yup!" Yosuke nearly winced at his own blatant lie. He could imagine Naoto, looking none too pleased, checking the barrel of her gun, if she were to ever hear him call her that, and fervently hoped that she would never have to find out.

The pleasant smile on Souji's face was both reassuring and frightening at the same time.

"I see..." Sonohara trailed off, looking lost in her own thoughts. Then, she suddenly lifted her head up, making eye contact with the two older males. "Um, in any case, thank you for coming to visit Harima-san. A-and to apologise to her. I...I think she understands."

"It's no problem, Sonohara-chan." Yosuke paused. "I'm actually thinking about coming again on another day... You know, to apologise to her properly in person. I don't think she's in any condition right now to get pissed just at the sight of me, huh?"

"That's..." Anri tore her eyes away and stared at the ground again.

It didn't take long for Yosuke to fully register the implications of what he just said _._

 _'...Oh_ shit. _'_

"I-I didn't mean anything bad by that! I mean, I'm sure Harima-chan is perfectly fine! Right, Souji?"

The silver-haired adolescent nodded readily. "It's just as Yosuke said, Sonohara. I'm certain that Harima is going to be all right."

"Y-yeah, exactly! Sorry for making you worried for no reason."

"It's okay..." Still, she did not lift her eyes from the floor.

Yosuke winced, and decided to leave the talking to Souji instead. "Well," the silver-haired undergraduate said, "I think it's best if we don't see Harima today and come back when Harima is more comfortable with our presence. But, are you gonna be okay by yourself here? It's really late now, I don't think you should stay here alone."

"I'll be fine," Anri answered softly. The pair casted her looks of disbelief. Sensing their doubt, she glanced up to face them directly. "R...really. Um, a friend will be coming to send me home, so..."

"I see... Alright then. Take care, Sonohara."

"Y...yeah, take care, Sonohara-chan."

Souji and Yosuke bid their farewells, then turned in the direction of the elevator. They walked off, leaving the shy girl standing alone in the corridor.

***

When they reached the parking area of the hospital, Souji and Yosuke noticed a motorcycle parked near their own bikes.

It was sleek and beautiful, painted in nothing but black, barely noticeable against the night backdrop. What stood out more, though, had been the lack of headlights and a licence plate.

Not having either was already a violation of traffic regulations. Not having both was worse.

Not wanting to be mistaken as its owner, the pair hastily rode their bikes and left the area.

The late, rainy Ikebukuro night had little cars and just as many people wandering around. It made travelling on the road much easier, but still, as they departed from the hospital, Souji and Yosuke kept at a steady pace with each other on the road.

They travelled deeper into the night, their surroundings slowly dimming as they passed by South Ikebukuro Park and reached an empty road junction where the traffic light flashed red. The pair stopped, and waited.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of Souji's neck were raised. Warily he stole a glance at the window attached to his scooter, but saw not a single soul behind them. It did nothing to tone down his now alert senses and the plethora of voices starting to murmur in the recesses of his mind, however.

"Yosuke," he whispered, knowing that even with his scooter's engine running, the brunet could still hear him. "No, don't turn to face me. Just listen."

Yosuke silently obeyed.

"We're being followed." His best friend took a sharp breath, but did not forget the warning, and focused on looking ahead. "I don't see anyone behind us, but I can't ignore this feeling... So we're not going back to the apartment, just to be safe. When the light turns green, follow my lead. I'll try to shake them off."

The brunet resisted the urge to nod, and remained perfectly still. Souji said nothing more about the visibly non-existent stalker behind them, and waited patiently for the signal to move on ahead.

When the signal finally came, Souji drove off. Yosuke trailed behind him. Neither could hear if there was indeed another vehicle following them, but the ominous feeling of being watched lingered in Souji's senses.

They kept moving further and further away from their apartment, going in all sorts of directions so as to throw their pursuer off. Even when they reached the more crowded roads of Ikebukuro, however, they still couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that someone was hot on their trail.

It was like encountering the Shadows that flashed crimson, the sort that screamed "I'll haunt you wherever you go". Sometimes the team might be strong enough to face these Shadows head-on; other times, they had to run away from the monstrosities as if evading a plague.

Those Shadows were as every bit as dangerous and ferocious as they seemed. They wouldn't give up once they landed their glowing scarlet eyes on a potential prey, and keep pursuing, and pursuing...

Yosuke shuddered at the thought. He hoped that whatever was following them would be different and give up soon; the tendons and muscles in his legs were beginning to protest after pedalling for a distance that they were not conditioned for.

Suddenly, lightning flashed across the sky.

That was when the pair was reminded of the fact that time was inching closer towards midnight.

Souji quickly glanced at his wristwatch. It read 9.50pm. His eyes narrowed slightly.

While there was still some time left before midnight, Souji knew that it wouldn't do either of them any good to stay out in the rain for too long. He had to get this invisible stalker off their trail as soon as possible.

They reached yet another traffic light junction, at the transition from the dull yellow light to the red one. With no other way to avoid it, they stopped where they were, making sure not to look over their shoulders.

Yosuke took this moment to switch his riding hand, the umbrella clumsily rocking back and forth as he did so.

"Hey, Souji," the brunet started while he steadied himself on his bicycle. Souji stayed still and listened intently. "We can't keep up like this. At this rate, we won't be able to make it back home at all unless we pass out on the street from exhaustion."

"I know," Souji whispered back. "But I can't find a way to shake them off."

Yosuke groaned. "There has to be something--ohh, wait... We can stop by a convenience store, right? I mean, whoever is following us just wants to know where we live, right? Or attack us in our apartment... A-anyway, they're following us for some whacky reason. So maybe if we buy some stuff and make it look like there're people other than us in the apartment..."

"...Ahh." Souji gave it some consideration. Yosuke's suggestion did make sense. If they could give their pursuer the impression that they had people over, or the idea that they were going to somebody else's apartment for a gathering, that would defeat the pursuer's purpose for following them around. "You're right. Let's head over to the nearest convenience store, then."

The moment the traffic light turned green, Souji led the way to the nearest convenience store, ready to put Yosuke's plan in action. They parked their bikes in the designated lots and entered the brightly-lit store, where they were greeted by an array of goods and an enthusiastic, long brown-haired cashier standing behind the cash register.

They spent a few minutes pretending that they were choosing between particular snacks and drinks while eyeing the entrance of the store. The feeling that they were being watched gradually died away.

Holding onto a bunch of snacks, Yosuke leaned sideways, closer towards Souji, and asked in a low murmur, "Doesn't seem like that guy's around anymore."

"Yeah..." came the soft reply from the silver-haired adolescent looking between the two different types of drinks in his hands. "But we still have to be careful. Let's wait for a while longer first."

They remained in the store for a few more minutes. Souji periodically checked his watch. He felt his body relaxing as time went by, and the voices of his Personas had quietened down, too.

Concluding that their stalker had given up, the pair heaved a sigh of relief. Yosuke placed the snacks back in their original positions, and Souji then handed him one of the drinks he was holding onto, which Yosuke accepted with a thanks. They headed towards the cashier to pay for their respective purchase.

"That will be 160 yen, please!" the cashier chimed.

Souji reached into his pocket to grab his wallet, and opened it up to take out some coins. He mentally calculated the sum of the coins' value. When it was just right, he flashed a smile of gratitude at the cashier for her patience and laid the coins down onto the small blue tray at the counter. As he was about to withdraw his hand, fingers that were not his own wrapped around his wrist.

_'--Eh?'_

"You..."

The silver-haired adolescent looked up sharply. It had been the cashier's hand grasping his in a death grip, and the cashier's voice he just heard. Her eyes were glowing red, and the edges of her lips had curled into a deranged smile.

"You...you're _them_..."

Souji struggled to get himself free with Yosuke's aid, but to no avail.

The cashier giggled, removing a penknife from the stationery holder behind her.

"I won't let you get away..."

"What the hell is--"

She made a clean slice across Yosuke's left arm.

"Yosuke!" Souji cried out, watching helplessly as his best friend gave a yelp and cradled his arm. Crimson liquid trickled down his arm and dripped onto the tiled flooring. Souji glared at the cashier.

"I won't let you get away," the lady repeated, continuously rocking her head side-to-side as if she were in a trance. She raised the penknife, its blade stained with Yosuke's fresh blood, and brought it down.

Souji made a quick leap backwards, and the cashier accidentally cut herself instead. Surprised at the younger male's swift movements, she released her grip. Souji didn't waste any time in sprinting out of the store, making sure that Yosuke was following him.

"Wha--what the hell was that?!" Yosuke gasped, bringing his injured arm closer to his chest. "Shit, there's no way I can ride my bike like this...!"

"You'll have to sit with me," Souji said firmly as he handed his friend a spare helmet. The brunet was about to protest but Souji didn't give him that luxury. " _No_ , Yosuke. I know it's illegal, but we don't have a choice."

Before Yosuke could reply, unfamiliar voices cut in. The words they spoke sent chills down Souji and Yosuke's spines.

"It's them...it's them..."

"Yes, it's them..."

"We must not let them get away..."

"Cut them...cut cut cut..."

The pair whipped around, and saw, to their horror, people whose eyes flashed crimson slowly being drawn to them like moths to a flame. There were people from all walks of life - students, businessmen, office ladies, even housewives - beginning to surround them. Psychotic grins were plastered on the strangers' faces as they inched closer.

Souji inwardly reminded himself to stay calm. "Yosuke, come on, we can--"

He was suddenly shoved onto the middle of the road, his scooter kicked away and far from his reach.

Yosuke, too, was forced to join him there not long after.

They were completely surrounded, with no possible path for them to escape.

"Cannot run away..."

"Now we can cut..."

"Cut until there's nothing left..."

With a violent shiver, Yosuke crumpled onto the ground. Souji instantly knelt down beside him. "P...partner...what should we do...?"

The silver-haired adolescent looked up, staring into the gleaming scarlet orbs that were dancing in delight. Determinedly, he raised himself to his feet, standing firm before the bloodthirsty crowd. "Who exactly are you?"

The entranced people refused to answer.

Souji frowned. "Why are you after us?"

He heard zombie-like groans, but no clear reply.

The leader of the Investigation Team remained unperturbed. "All this talk about us being 'them'... What do you mean by that?"

The people surrounding them suddenly stiffened. Then, the entire crowd drawled, "You are them... They are you... That is why we must cut..."

"...I'm afraid I don't--urgh!"

"Souji!"

Souji immediately placed a hand on his back, cringing as he made a swift turn to face his attacker who stared at him blankly with those hollow crimson eyes. It was the cashier from earlier, swaying as if she were listening to the beat of a silent song, seemingly unaffected by the stab wound in her arm.

Despite applying pressure to his wound, Souji could feel the warm liquid flowing out from his back. Still, he kept his gaze on the red-eyed crowd.

Yosuke brought himself to his feet shakily. "Are...are you okay, partner?"

"I'm fine... How about you?"

"Ugh...just swell." The brunet was still cradling his arm, though not as tightly as he did before.

The hypnotised crowd started to cause an uproar.

"They are still here..."

"Monsters...inhuman..."

"Don't get in the way of our love..."

They closed in on the injured pair, holding up all of the weapons they had in their possession. Most of them were fruit knives, some had kitchen knives, scissors, even pens and pencils...anything sharp and capable of cutting through human flesh was there.

And they were out for Souji and Yosuke's blood.

The brunet couldn't help but gulp. "S...Souji..."

The silver-haired adolescent closed his eyes. He hadn't realised that he was breathing heavily from the stinging pain his back had to endure. "We...need to...get away from here..."

"B-but _how_? Fight our way out? Dude, these aren't Shadows, we can't just--oh _crap_!"

Just as the blades were about to rain upon them, Yosuke pushed Souji down, away from the impact, while he himself barely dodged by falling to the ground. It resulted in the knives, coming from all directions, slicing through air instead.

While Yosuke's quick instincts had saved Souji from being ripped apart, shoving him down had caused an even deeper tear in his wound. The grey-haired adolescent bit back a groan as he applied more pressure to his wound.

"Sh-shit, _shit_ , I'm sorry, Souji, I-I didn't mean to, I was just--"

The brunet felt his heart twist into a knot when he saw Souji's blood dye the rainwater a dull shade of red; against the road surface, it looked like a thin layer of maroon oil that had formed where Souji lied. Yosuke bit his lower lip, clutching onto his injured arm more tightly than before.

Moaning, the crowd raised their knives again, the gleam of the blades catching Yosuke's attention. He took in a sharp breath, watching the people around them bring the knives down, and then he closed his eyes, expecting a world of pain and blood the next time he opened them.

**_\--Clang!..._ **

Then all was silent.

Not a single person in the crowd spoke. The sound of the rain descending from the skies had been muted. Not even the sound of Souji's strained breaths reached his ears.

It was cold and quiet, yet there was this strange feeling of familiar warmth wrapped around him. And even though everything before him was dark, somehow Yosuke could see a dim, blue light. He briefly wondered if that was people normally called "the light at the end of a tunnel", the sure sign that a person was about to step over a line they could never cross again.

_'...Ahh, I must have died already... Quick and painless, huh? Heh...'_

Yosuke slowly let out the breath he had been holding in.

"......"

_'Wait did I just--'_

Without any second thoughts, Yosuke inhaled. The smell of rain and iron filled his nostrils.

His eyes snapped open, and his arms fell to his sides.

The rain was getting heavier steadily; a flash of lightning, and a clap of thunder followed. It pelted against the ground like hailstones in the harshest of winters.

The crowd was still there, their eyes still glazed over and glowing scarlet. Souji was still lying next to him and pressing onto his wound, though no longer panting like before.

"Yosuke..." Souji muttered, pushing himself with one hand to sit upright. "Look...above us..."

Dazed, Yosuke tilted his head back. Immediately he understood what Souji had meant, and his eyes widened at the sight.

Hovering above him was Susano-O, using the blades protruding from his neck and the large disc spinning around him to block the incoming attack. Next to him was Izanagi, who was using his naginata to protect the pair from the knives, which looked miniscule compared to the Personas' weapons.

"H...how? Why? This..."

"...I don't know." Despite sounding composed, Souji himself was just as astounded and confused as Yosuke was.

The people around them released a feral growl, and started to murmur among themselves.

"It's them, it's them...!"

"Kill them...kill them now!"

Detecting their animosity, Susano-O spun around and snapped his fingers, letting loose a gust of wind strong enough to blow the crowd off their feet. Izanagi took this opportunity to strike at them with his naginata, making neat slices across their bodies. They drew no blood.

Then, as if knowing that their job was done, the Personas faded away, the pale blue glow emanating from their bodies disappearing along with them.

Trembling, Yosuke got up to his feet, and looked around him. The people who desperately tried to cut them earlier were all strewn around the street, unconscious but clearly alive. "Our Personas...attacked them without us telling them to...? And...they're not hurt...? What the hell is going on?"

"I wish I--ngh..."

"Whoa, take it easy, partner!" The brunet knelt down beside his friend, who had tried to stand but ended up falling back to the ground when the pain erupted from the laceration on his back. "Okay hold on, I'll get Susano-O out here to heal you."

Wincing, Souji nodded. Yosuke then closed his eyes, his expression peaceful as he nudged his other self. The apparition once again manifested itself before the pair and held out a gloved hand directly above Souji's wound, pouring life into it.

But the god of storms that resided in Yosuke's heart was not Amaterasu or Kamui; all he had at his disposal was a Diarama, and there was only so much he could do with a less effective healing spell. Still, it did its job nicely.

"At least the bleeding's stopped," Yosuke commented while Susano-O faded away after healing up his own wound. "But we should get you to a doctor, just in case. Can't risk it tearing apart again."

"...Yeah..." Souji quietly sighed as he slowly got to his feet with Yosuke's support.

"Um, what do we do about...?"

The silver-haired adolescent glanced at his surroundings. "Call the ambulance, perhaps?"

Yosuke held back a laugh. "Man, they're gonna flip. I mean, this looks like some kind of mass fainting phenomenon or something."

Souji smiled at that. It did have a rather amusing ring to it.

With his friend's arm draped over his shoulder - their positions now a complete reversal of the incident at lunch two days prior - Yosuke took out his phone and keyed in the number for the ambulance. Just as he was about to dial the number, something that vaguely sounded like a horse's neigh from the distance distracted him.

***

She was sending Anri home when the girl suddenly gasped and nearly fell off her motorcycle.

The dangerous movement had caused the rider to panic and stop by the pavement. She asked after the girl's well-being, to which Anri insisted that she was perfectly fine. But something still seemed off, so the woman tried again, and Anri finally admitted it.

"...Something's wrong with Saika." That was what the bespectacled Raira Academy student had said.

After dropping Anri off at her apartment, Celty went in the direction of where a group of Saika's children had supposedly gathered. Anri said, a bit fearfully, that when she was still waiting outside Mika's ward, she had requested for them to keep an eye on two young men who just left the hospital, but for some reason, they suddenly started attacking them instead and weren't responding for her calls to stop.

That came as a shock to the Dullahan. Something like that had never happened before. She couldn't even begin to imagine just how terrifying it must be for Anri; first the Slasher slitting Mika's throat, and now Saika's children wouldn't listen to Anri's orders? It was frightening. Horrifying, even.

A flash of light interrupted her thoughts. Celty pulled her motorbike to a stop, and turned to face where the light had come from.

_'...? That's the place Anri-chan...'_

Without further contemplation, the Headless Rider took off, her motorcycle letting out a ghostly neigh as she drove towards her destination.

Upon her arrival, what she saw completely took her by surprise.

She had to twist and turn in order to avoid the people lying scattered all over the place before she could finally reach the two young men standing near the pavement. One was wearing a black jacket over a white turtleneck; the other had a pale pink shirt and a white coat on.

As she approached them, Celty noticed that the one in the black jacket had his arm over his companion's shoulder, and said companion's coat sleeve was ripped and stained with blood. She tensed at the sight, and hurriedly moved closer before she stopped right in front of them.

The brown-haired one jumped a little, which caused the grey-haired one to flinch.

Quickly she removed her PDA from her rider suit sleeve. [Are you two all right? Are you hurt anywhere?]

When neither gave her a reply - instead they settled for a perplexed expression - Celty erased the previous message and she tapped on the screen again before she showed it to the boys. [Sorry, I heard about what happened and I was worried that someone got hurt, so I came here to take a look...] _Tap tap tap._ [I don't mean any harm.]

That didn't stop them from staring, though.

Celty's shoulders sunk. What could she be doing wrong?

She typed out another message. [Um, it looks like you got caught up in that mess, so if you'd like, I can take you to the hospital to have your wounds treated.]

The brown-haired boy's eyes sparkled when he saw that. "Woah, for reals?"

Celty nearly heaved a sigh of relief, but the other boy was whispering something into his friend's ear; maybe he was still suspicious of her. But to her surprise, once he was done, the silver-haired boy flashed her a small, trusting smile, while the brown-haired one's jaw dropped.

"Thank you very much for the kind offer," the smiling boy said, "but we don't want to trouble you. Our injuries really aren't that major."

Celty would have none of that. [Oh, no, it's okay, really.]

He didn't seem willing to comply, however, and insisted that they could make it to the hospital by themselves. But the Dullahan didn't quite like the idea of leaving two injured boys alone by themselves in the depths of the night, especially when it was storming out, so she quickly thought of an alternative.

[No, it just doesn't feel right to leave you like this... How about I take you to a doctor I know instead? He's not too far from here, just along the Kawagoe Highway.] As she held up the device to display the text, Celty pointed to her right. After a moment, she returned to tapping on the screen. [Really, it's no trouble at all.]

The grey-haired one really was quite obstinate, Celty had to admit, but after a bit more coaxing on her end, he finally relented and took up on her offer. Part of her wanted to leap into the air in joy at her success.

"Uh," the one in the white coat spoke, "what about the people lying around here? Should I still call the ambulance?"

The empty helmet nodded.

"R-right, so, um..." He got down to dialling the number, fumbling with his phone while he did so. It was strange to see him so nervous all of a sudden.

Then she heard the grey-haired one chuckle. "Please don't take it to heart. He's just surprised to see you for the first time since moving here."

Celty couldn't help but tilt her helmet to one side innocently.

"Ah, well... You're the Headless Rider, after all...right?"

***

He was sitting by himself on the couch, watching the Ikebukuro Night Special when he heard the door click open.

Immediately the man in the lab coat hopped to his feet and skipped towards the entrance where a woman in a black rider suit was standing.

"Celty~ You're home~ Ohh, it was so cold and lonely by myself on the bed without you there to warm it u--ow ow ow that hurts, Celty, ow!"

Despite being in pain, the man was still wearing an affectionate smile on his face as he addressed his beloved and rubbed the area on his stomach that met with Celty's fist.

"...Hm?" He readjusted his glasses as he looked over the Dullahan's shoulder. There were two people by the doorway, one person's arm over another's shoulder, struggling with the simple act of removing their shoes. "Why are there two young men behind you, Celty?"

[They're injured. I brought them here for you to treat them.]

"Oh, how kind and compassionate you are, my dear!" Celty did not seem to be in the mood for his usual compliments, so he cleared his throat and continued, "But, well...wouldn't it be better for them to go to a hospital for that?"

[Huh? Don't you treat injuries?]

"No, no, it's not that... Ah, well. Since they're here anyway, I guess I'll take a look at them."

As if on cue, the two adolescents stepped onto the raised platform and entered the doctor's apartment. The man gave them a welcoming gesture as they slowly made their way towards him. "Come in, come in," he said, showing them the way to the couch in his living room. "I'm Kishitani Shinra. Oh, do have a seat.”

"Thanks..." the brown-haired adolescent replied, carefully setting his companion down on the couch before he sat down himself.

The other looked like he was wincing, but the moment his facial features showed the slightest bit of discomfort, it was gone as quickly as it came. Shinra had seen many patients like him in his years of experience as an underground doctor, but to have someone that young...

"Sorry for intruding," the grey-haired teen added, breaking Shinra's chain of thought.

The doctor smiled. "Not at all, not at all. So, where exactly are you injured?"

"Oh, actually he's the one who needs it more than I do-- _what_?" The brunet had muttered the last word rather harshly when his friend elbowed him in the side. Then they engaged in some sort of whispered bickering which Shinra thought was rather endearing.

"Yeah, well, anyway." The brunet had the last word in that short-lived argument, it seemed. "Sorry about that, um... Could you have a look at this guy's back? We got ambushed by some people with knives and one of them cut it open."

"Hmm..."

Shinra put on his surgical gloves as he walked to the rear of the sofa. He requested for the silver-haired adolescent to remove his turtleneck and bend forward, and carefully analysed the slash wound on the younger male's back when he did.

_'Ahh, interesting... Very interesting indeed...'_

"Okay," the underground doctor announced while the teen sat back upright, "thankfully it's not too bad, but you'll need some stitches to close it up. Just need to ask some questions before we go into that. Are you allergic to anaesthesia?" His patient shook his head. "And your last tetanus shot? When was it?"

"Two years ago," the adolescent replied readily.

"Alright then. I'll go prepare the room for you, so in the meantime, try not to move around too much lest you end up aggravating your wound.”

The pair thanked him, and then Shinra turned towards the room which served as a makeshift OR. He saw Celty waiting for him at its entrance. "Ohh Celty! Are you that raring to go? Just a moment, dear, we'll have the whole apartment to ourselves soon!"

Instead of responding to that, Celty dragged him to the adjacent room and closed the door, then typed out a message using the laptop she had brought in. [Those boys were attacked by people who are possessed by Saika. But I asked them about it and they said they didn't hear a voice when they got cut.]

"...Huh." That certainly made the entire premise even more interesting.

[Are you sure they're all right? This is Saika, after all.]

"Oh, they're perfectly fine. Both physically and mentally," Shinra said reassuringly. "Though that's exactly why I'm surprised."

[What do you mean?]

"Well, most people would be shaken up after such an ordeal, right? But neither of them is showing any signs of that. I also noticed that the one with brown hair had his arm slashed, but he doesn't seem to be in pain at all. And the one with a slashed back is recovering extremely well... A little _too_ well, if you ask me. Lacerations like that don't heal so quickly, after all."

Celty mulled over his words for a moment before she typed out her response. [Are you saying that they're not...]

"Who knows? But from what I've seen and what you've told me, that does seem very likely."

[I don't sense anything peculiar about them, though.]

Shinra hummed thoughtfully. "Then, maybe they're just like Shizuo...kun..." As if he had just made a ground-breaking discovery, Shinra flapped his arms around gleefully. "That's it! They must be just like Shizuo-kun! Humans with extraordinary bodies! Yes! Oh Celty, you're amazing!"

[H-huh? But, I didn't do anything...]

"No, no, your observations were what helped me form my hypothesis! You deserve all the credit, my dear!" Then his eyes softened, his demeanour calm and composed, and said wholeheartedly, "I mean it, Celty. You really are amazing."

The Dullahan looked away and raised her hand to the side of the helmet, as if feeling her missing head blush in response to her beloved's praises.

Perhaps she might have been imagining it, but her helmet felt warm to the touch.

Shinra smiled knowingly.


	10. April 16 2013, Evening: Part Two

**April 16, 2013**

The man was busily typing away on his keyboard, paying no attention to his guest seated on his sofa, who left her tea untouched.

She had been in that position for the past thirty minutes, at the very least.

Yet the inconsiderate host had spent those thirty minutes on his computer, ignoring the existence of another person in his apartment.

 _'...And humming some ridiculous tune, too,'_ the guest thought to herself bitterly.

To say that Yagiri Namie was pissed off would be an understatement.

Not only did she have to make her own tea, but she also had to suffer her former employer who was the one that called her up and told her that he had found out more about Seiji's death. But when she arrived at his apartment, all the informant did was let her in and that was it. No new information to share, no witty remarks, _nothing._ Absolutely nothing.

"...If you asked me to make a wasted trip here, I'm leaving."

"Patience is a virtue, my dear Namie," Izaya responded smoothly without directing his attention away from the computer. "And I did not 'ask' you to do anything. You chose to come here of your own accord, did you not?"

Namie's eyes narrowed. "That's because you said you know something about what happened to Seiji. But from the moment I stepped into your apartment till just now, you haven't even said a damn thing. If you were lying to me--"

"Goodness, Namie, are you listening to yourself? When you arrived, I did tell you to make a cup of tea for yourself while you give me time to substantiate my findings. I wouldn't want you to leave in the middle of another of our meetings, you know." His eyes briefly wandered over to where she had been sitting. The smile never left his face. "And do you honestly think I would actually lie to a client? Really, Namie, your two years of experience as an information broker's secretary is as good as nothing. It makes me wonder what you have been doing exactly in the past few years working here."

Honestly? She wouldn't put it past someone like Izaya to get someone's hopes up and then dampen them just to see how they would react. She believed that she was no exception, and was simply another human whose emotions could be played with. He could be horribly twisted that way. Namie understood that, after years of putting up with him and ensuring that he would never be able to see through her.

But then again, it was probably too irrational of her to accuse him of lying at this point in time. While Namie was unquestionably just another human for Izaya to observe, she was also, first and foremost, currently the information broker's client.

And if there was anything Namie had learnt from working for Izaya, it was that informants don't lie to their clients.

Truth lies in information. Therefore informants, who pride themselves on dealing with information, are essentially dealing with the truth. To give false information to people who paid to learn the truth would be to admit that informants are no different from con artists, a grave insult to information brokers everywhere.

Even Izaya himself more or less stayed true to the principles of his profession, Namie once noticed with mild surprise. When he wasn't with a client, the man could fabricate anything out of thin air, just to get a kick out of misleading the humans he claimed to love. But where his reputation as an information broker was concerned, there was simply no room for mistakes. Sure, he might leave out some related bits and pieces of information - for all sorts of strange reasons - but it didn't mean that he was _lying_ , technically speaking.

As strange as it might sound, Izaya did take his job very seriously.

"...Fine, whatever," Namie replied begrudgingly with an audible sigh. "I'll wait. But if you don't give me anything new in the next ten minutes..."

"I assure you, I am nearly done. I just need to do this--" The informant typed a few keys before he finally made a click with his cursor. "--and then I'm almost there. Just give it a minute or two." Then the man leaned back into his swivel chair and spun excitedly before he suddenly suggested, "Ahh, in the meantime, why don't we catch up a bit?"

Namie shot him an incredulous look.

"Hm, let's see... How have you been? Have you been getting enough rest recently?"

Those questions were so ridiculous and unprecedented that Namie couldn't help but say, " _Hah?_ "

"I heard you've been busy nowadays. I take it you've found a new job, then? Congratulations."

"What on earth are you--"

"Or perhaps I should say--" Izaya promptly stopped spinning in his chair and glanced up from his desk, his auburn eyes meeting his former secretary's dark brown ones. "--my condolences."

Namie fell silent.

"You know, Mika-chan was probably the only one in the entire world who could understand what you're going through right now. After all, she was quite enamoured with your brother." The informant watched her like a hawk, his eyes glinting dangerously yet playfully. "But now, not only have you lost your brother, but also a potential sister-in-law. What a tragic outcome."

"......"

"Ah, I'm not saying that she's dead or anything. After all, you did tell your subordinate not to give her a life-threatening wound; just enough to land her in the hospital, didn't you?"

"...! What--"

"Well, what I'm referring to," Izaya continued, pretending to ignore his former secretary, "is you eliminating all of her memories of Yagiri-kun and forcing Shinra to perform another plastic surgery on her. Oh but then you realised that it would be risky to let her loose since she might recover her memories any time, so you sent someone to pose as the Slasher and cut her throat to render her mute. Rather cruel of you to do that, don't you think?"

Namie glared at him. _'How did he know? I made sure to check for any recording devices wherever I went.'_ Her eyes narrowed to slits. _'More importantly, why is he bringing this up? It's not like it has anything to do with--'_

Then it all clicked in her mind.

 _'...He lied.'_ Namie was seething. _'He wasn't looking for any information about Seiji's killer at all. He just wanted me to be here so that he could show off and then observe my reaction. The bastard...!'_

"...I was a fool to believe you," Namie finally managed to growl out. She quickly got up from her seat and turned to leave.

"Oya? I thought you wanted to know more about the case?"

Izaya sounded so calm Namie became even more convinced that he was screwing with her.

"Like I'd let you waste any more of my time."

"You really aren't a virtuous woman, are you?" Just as Namie was about to open the door, she heard a beep coming from one of the computers on Izaya's desk. "Ah, there we go, there we go." And then the sound of something being moved.

Namie paused in her movements. Cautiously, yet curiously, she turned around, and saw that Izaya had shifted his computer such that its screen directly faced her. The informant had also fallen silent for once, and simply gestured to the screen. Was he...?

_'...I shouldn't trust him. I know that. I know that, but...'_

But she loved Seiji too much to give up on any lead available, even if it was coming from Izaya.

Namie sighed, and reluctantly released her hold on the door handle before she made her way closer towards Izaya's desk to get a better look of what was displayed on the monitor.

What she saw had her completely taken aback.

There were three pictures, each showing a body draped over a different object. The first had a short-haired lady dangling from a rooftop antenna; the second, a young girl, dressed in a school uniform Namie did not recognise, tangled in telephone lines and hung upside-down on a telephone pole; and the third, a man hanging from the railing surrounding a water tank.

"W...What is...?"

The informant's smirk widened.

"Ne, Namie," Izaya spoke as he continued observing the woman standing before him. "Have you ever heard about this nice, peaceful town called Inaba, I wonder?"

***

"--a real magnet for all the freaky stuff. How can the people living there experience this on a daily basis and still remain sane, we may never understand. But one thing's for sure, you will never have a day of peace living in exciting, haunted Ikebukuro. You can always count on it for your daily dose of horrifying mysteries."

"Pretty mean, huh?"

The brunet and his companion turned in the direction of the voice, appearing a bit startled to see Shinra back so suddenly.

After his lovely exchange with his dear Celty, Shinra had left the room and prepared the makeshift OR in high spirits before making his way to the two teens in the living room. He was humming quietly to himself a little tune when he noticed that they were paying exceptionally close attention to the television programme that was being broadcasted.

The silver-haired teen visibly relaxed. "Ah...yeah... They said the same thing last year, though."

"Oh, so you live in Ikebukuro too?" asked the unlicensed doctor as he switched the television set off and led the way to the makeshift OR. His patient slowly followed with the younger brunet's help.

"Starting from last year. My friend here just moved a few days ago."

"Wow, it must be really tough for you then, getting caught in a fight on top of a murderer and the Slasher on the loose right after coming here." Although his words sounded like those spoken by someone who was worried about another's welfare, Shinra's tone clearly lacked such concern for the younger brunet behind him.

To his surprise, however, the adolescent simply said, "It's nothing, really. But thanks, Kishitani-sensei."

"Don't mention it," Shinra replied cheerfully, though part of him wondered why he was being thanked. "Oh, right, I don't believe I know your names yet."

"This is Seta Souji," the brunet replied while gesturing to his companion. "I'm Hanamura Yosuke."

Shinra nodded. "Souji-kun and Yosuke-kun, then. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

When they reached the room, the physician asked Yosuke to wait outside before thanking Yosuke for his help, then requested Souji to lie flat on the operating table. The silver-haired adolescent shivered when his bare skin met the cold material.

The underground doctor strapped on a surgical mask and changed his gloves. Then he injected some local anaesthetics into the patient's body before flushing the laceration with saline water. Said patient barely flinched during the treatment.

When preparations were complete, Shinra headed over to the operating table with the sutures in his hands.

"Now, Souji-kun," the doctor spoke, "although I've already administered the anaesthesia, the dosage is very mild, so you might feel a little tingle when I work on your back. But not to worry! It won't last very long."

Souji nodded unhesitatingly, giving Shinra the cue to begin suturing the wound. As expected, the silver-haired adolescent gave a little jolt when the sharp tip of the needle was introduced to his skin, but as the physician continued, he noticed that his patient gradually relaxed and wondered, then, if his patient had somehow grown used to the stinging sensation.

With the wound being rather long, stretching from Souji's right shoulder to his left hip, Shinra took quite a while to finish closing it up. Thankfully, Souji seemed to be a patient fellow with a high tolerance for pain, so he remained perfectly still and silent throughout the rest of the procedure. If Shinra had been any ordinary bystander watching this, he would have applauded the boy for displaying such bravery.

But alas, after meeting a certain blond at a young age...

"--And we're done!" Shinra announced gleefully as he flushed the wound again. "So, how are you feeling?"

"...A bit sore, but I think I'll be okay." Souji slowly shifted until he was sitting upright on the table, then he smiled. "Thank you very much, Kishitani-sensei."

"My pleasure," the unlicensed physician replied as he removed his mask and gloves. Then he opened the door and politely gestured for Yosuke to come in and help his friend out of the makeshift OR.

Shinra waited until the pair was comfortably seated on the sofa before he instructed, "Well, I suppose there's no need for me to say this, but just a precaution: no vigorous exercise until those stitches get removed. I also don't recommend lying on that back for the next few days or so, unless you're keen on provoking your cut and having a few sleepless nights." The doctor's voice carried traces of mild fascination and bemusement as he spoke of the wound. "Showering may be a bit of a hassle for you in your current condition, so soak in a bathtub instead. Just make sure not to get your stitches wet in the next twelve hours."

Souji was busy getting dressed while the doctor spoke, but Shinra could tell that the boy was listening intently, so he continued, "I'll call you back for a follow-up, so leave behind your contact number before you leave. Or you can drop by anytime when you think you don't need the stitches. I’m fine with anything. For now, I'll prescribe you some painkillers, but take them only when it's necessary."

After Souji was done, he nodded in concession.

Shinra then turned to look at the younger brunet. "Now how about you, Yosuke-kun? Do you need me to look at your wound too?"

"Huh? How did you--"

"I'm a doctor, Yosuke-kun," Shinra laughed. "You might not look like you're in pain, but ever since you entered the apartment you’ve been actively avoiding aggravating that left arm of yours. And there's a tear in your coat, see? There's blood on it."

He had to say, the sight of a confounded Yosuke taking a quick look at his injured limb and then concealing it from view like a kid hiding a present behind his back in order to give the recipient a surprise was rather amusing.

And Shinra was oh so very curious as to what kind of a surprise it would be.

"Oh? You don't want me to treat it?"

"Uh...it's not that..." Yosuke seemed to be struggling with his words.

For some reason, Souji didn't appear at all concerned about his friend's injury, and was, in fact, helping him hide the afflicted arm by shifting a little closer towards him. Although it was done elusively, such a movement wouldn't escape Shinra's eyes, which had been trained to watch and observe.

After years of cohabiting together with Celty, who could not communicate verbally, Shinra had learnt to pick up on each and every movement she made, no matter how subtle they were. While he would admit that he had eyes only for Celty, Shinra would more often than not notice every other person's actions as well, most likely due to the fact that he had grown used to reading Celty's body language, which was, in its own unique way, rather similar to that of humans.

So, the way Shinra saw it, the two young men before him were certainly being very suspicious by trying so hard to cover up just one arm.

 _'Could it be that it has already fully healed and they don't want me to know that?'_ That would further substantiate his earlier theory that the two adolescents possessed paranormal bodies that gave them intolerance to pain and speedy healing properties. _'Haha, now that reminds me of a certain idol I treated last year...'_

Shinra lightly shook his head. It wasn't the time to be lost in memories.

"Hmm," the doctor started, deciding to feign ignorance. "You really sure you don't want me to have a look? It'd be terrible if you get an infection."

Yosuke waved it off with his unhidden hand. "It's fine, really."

"...Well, if you say so." Shinra shrugged nonchalantly.

He had to admit, he did feel a bit disappointed, but after being denied the opportunity to study a particular ex-bartender's body for years, the underground doctor had grown used to being turned down. Besides, he had already seen Souji's wound and the extent of its recovery. That was thrilling enough. For now.

"Since there's nothing else, I'll go get you the--"

**_Whizzz... Whizzz..._ **

"--huh?"

Shinra turned towards the direction of the sound. His eyes widened slightly when he saw what was unfolding before him.

The television set in his living room, which he had most definitely switched off before suturing Souji's wound, was somehow whirring to life.

The screen was flickering like a flame dancing in the wind. Strips of static rose from the bottom to the top of the screen, which was beginning to turn a sickly shade of dull yellow.

The two boys suddenly leapt to their feet.

"I-it's...!" Yosuke gasped, a stunned expression painted on his features.

Souji, in contrast, remained silent and composed, although his eyes widened when the television turned itself on.

But Shinra was too mesmerised to pay them much attention, for there, on the screen, was a faint shadow whose shape moved in tandem with the strips of static.

It looked like a human, but its face and attire were masked by what he assumed to be poor signal reception by the television set. And aside from its figure being distorted by the static, the shadow remained completely still, standing - was it even standing? Shinra couldn't tell - in the middle of the screen.

Then the entire screen went blank before it flickered back on. It was so abrupt that nobody in the room could even react to the addition of yet another shadow on the screen. Despite the blurriness, Shinra could tell that it was larger than the first shadow that appeared, and strangely it was...attacking the smaller shadow?

It seemed to be using its fists to land a hit on the other figure, which dodged every incoming attack as if it could read the larger shadow's mind. Or at least, that was how Shinra saw it.

…The reception was becoming so poor the entire screen was starting to be filled with static; part of Shinra wondered if his TV would soon sizzle and go up in smoke.

 _'...Wait.'_ The doctor pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and squinted. _'Aren't they...?'_

The image chose that moment to disappear.

Before anyone could speak, there was a loud **_Thump_** coming from behind them. All three heads turned, only to be greeted by a woman in a familiar rider suit scrambling to type a message on her PDA. A wisp of smoke was swimming wildly above her neck.

[A-a-a-aliek&ns!!! T-t-thdjdve c#se otb in@vks $u!!]

“……”

While the two boys remained silent, Shinra was quick to respond. "Ah...hahaha, Celty, dear, please calm dow--"

[Cmal#/?!?! Thsds /$sr alieh&s w^re tkdla$&g abuti!!]

"Celty, this might not be the work of aliens. I mean, well, if they wanted to invade us, they wouldn't want us to know, would they?"

The Dullahan's shoulders rose, and then they fell, as if she had taken a deep breath and released it. Her fingers trembled as they tapped on the screen of her PDA. [B-but...didn't they just use the TV to c-communicate with us?]

_'Oh man, she's so adorable...!'_

Shinra resisted the urge to say that aloud. "I think if they wanted to establish relations with the human race, they wouldn't do it here of all places, right?"

Celty remained still, appearing to be deep in thought. Subconsciously, her hand rose to where a chin was supposed to lie, but it only felt air. Celty looked around swiftly, and saw the yellow helmet lying on the ground. She must've had knocked it over in her shock earlier, Shinra figured.

As Celty knelt down to pick the fallen object up, she suddenly stiffened.

"Hm? What's wrong, Celty?"

Shinra turned around, and immediately understood.

Souji and Yosuke, whose presence had been completely ignored up till now, were still standing near the sofa, gazing at the Dullahan with widened eyes. Neither said anything as they watched the trail of smoke slither out of Celty's clearly headless neck and dissipate in the air.

There were two young men in his living room staring wordlessly at a headless supernatural creature whom he considered his beloved as if they had been scared stiff. What was an unlicensed doctor to do in such a situation?

"Um," was all that doctor managed to say.

What happened next, however, was even more astonishing.

"...Huh, what do you know," Yosuke finally spoke. He looked at his companion and chuckled as he tossed him a wink. "She really _is_ headless."

"So it seems." Souji nodded with a lighthearted smile on his face.

An awkward silence enveloped the room.

Shinra was the one who broke it.

"...Eh?"

***

**CHATROOM**

_Bakyura-san has joined the chat._

_Bakyura  
_ Holy crap guys,

 _Bakyura  
_ did you see that?!

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Oh, good evening, Bakyura-san.

 _Saika  
_ Good evening...

 _Kyo  
_ Ah, what a wonderful time you chose to join us, Bakyura-san. So late into the night, yet so early into the next day... A time of metamorphosis and transition... There truly is no other time as mysterious and wondrous as midnight where we can all gather to exchange greetings and engage in intriguing conversations which are just as shrouded in mystery and excitement since

 _Mai  
_?

 _Kyo_  
I hit the word limit.

 _Kyo  
_ \--since we have no knowledge of each other's identity in the real world. Should I wish you a good evening or a good morning, I wonder?

 _Mai  
_ Good evening.

 _Bakyura  
_ Oh right I forgot, good evening.

 _Bakyura  
_ Putting that aside...did you guys see that?

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Huh? See what, exactly?

 _Bakyura  
_ Man I don't even know how to put this...

 _Bakyura  
_ Did your TV like, turn itself on just now?

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Ohh, it did, it did!

 _Kyo  
_ You must be referring to the earlier phenomenon where the beautiful invention of man known as the television set suddenly sprung alive, its screen displaying a rather indistinct image our eyes cannot discern and our minds cannot comprehend.

 _Kyo  
_ This certainly reminds me of the tale of Frankenstein. A sad tale that was. I do hope you didn't abandon your television set because of what had happened.

 _Mai  
_ Kyo and I saw it, too.

 _Saika  
_ Um, me too...

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ So the same happened to everyone else? That's strange...

 _Bakyura  
_ Yeah if it was just me, I would've thought it was just my TV going whacko.

 _Bakyura  
_ But since everyone else saw the same thing then something's weird going on.

 _Bakyura  
_ And why would I throw my TV away just because of that? lol

_Setton-san has joined the chat._

_Tanaka Tarou  
_ Ah, Setton-san, good evening.

 _Bakyura  
_ Evening!

 _Saika  
_ Good evening...

 _Kyo  
_ And yet another unknown creature of the night to join us for this midnight enigma. Salutations, Setton-san. What a crowd we have here, despite the time.

 _Mai  
_ Good evening.

 _Setton  
_ G...good evening...

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ What's wrong, Setton-san?

 _Setton  
_ O-oh, it's nothing, really.

 _Setton  
_ It's been a rather eventful night, so I'm just a little tired.

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ I see...

 _Bakyura  
_ Shouldn't you be getting some rest, then?

 _Saika  
_ I'm sorry.

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Why are you apologising, Saika-san? lol

 _Setton  
_ Ah, um, I'll be fine, Bakyura-san. And it's okay, Saika-san. Forget about what I said.

 _Setton  
_ Oh, right, I just read the chat log. So everyone else saw this "phenomenon" too?

 _Bakyura  
_ Looks like it.

 _Kyo  
_ Truly a mystical sight to see, that was. A television set, clearly turned off, awakening by itself... To think that we could bear witness to such a spectacle! It seems that there really are amazing things aside from the Black Bike after all. And all these sightings, taking place in our humble, little Ikebukuro... It makes one wonder if there are similar phenomena in other places we have yet to explore. How little  
  
 _Kyo_  
our knowledge must be, then, when the world is so vast and most of its mysteries and wonders are unknown to us!

 _Mai  
_ Astounding.

 _Bakyura  
_ Are you sure you're not related to Kanra-san? You really remind me of her, for some reason.

 _Mai  
_ It's a secret.

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Uh, Mai-san, I don't think he was referring to you lol

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_...But now that you mention it, I noticed that Kanra-san isn't here today.

 _Setton  
_ Hmm...you're right. Maybe she's already asleep?

 _Bakyura  
_ Maybe she's finally dead.

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ B...Bakyura-san, please don't joke about something like that.

 _Bakyura  
_ Sorry.

 _Bakyura  
_ Couldn't help myself.

 _Kyo  
_ Alas, alas.

 _Kyo  
_ So it seems that even within the confinements of a chatroom, there are people who have such animosity towards Kanra-san. What a pitiful life she must lead, then, to be detested by countless others in the real world. But in my opinion, she certainly deserves it.

 _Mai  
_ Sad but true.

 _Bakyura  
_ Woah so you guys hate her too.

 _Bakyura  
_ Awesome.

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Um... I still don't think Kanra-san is that bad a person to deserve this...

 _Saika  
_ I agree... She seems helpful.

 _Kyo  
_ Alas. Still taken in by Kanra-san's sweet words, I see.

 _Kyo  
_ Such misguided beings you are, Tarou-san and Saika-san...

***

After the airing of the Midnight Channel earlier, a rather strange commotion broke out in the Kishitani household along the Kawagoe Highway.

It wasn't exactly a 'commotion', in the strict sense of the word, since the only person verbally speaking was the doctor. But with the way the headless person he was talking to flailing about and typing frantically on her PDA, there was no other word Souji could use to describe the scene.

He had to admit it was quite surreal, though, to find out that the Headless Rider was truly headless.

For Celty-san, however, she probably hadn't expected to reveal what lied within the helmet to them in such a manner, so she had promptly retreated into a nearby room and locked the door the moment she broke out of her stupor. Souji and Yosuke were, simply put, very surprised to see that.

Kishitani-sensei had laughed, then. "Isn't she adorable?" he had commented.

Then, as if he could tell they knew something he didn't, the doctor dived straight into a pool of questions about what exactly happened, how such a phenomenon could occur, who the figures being shown on screen were, and so on and so forth. The pair was practically being flooded with his enquiries. Souji could more or less answer them, albeit being very brief and vague with his replies. They knew they weren't being very fair to him like that, especially since he had been so kind to treat Souji's wound.

But more importantly, Shinra had said that he knew who the two people shown on the Midnight Channel might be.

So it was decided that they would return the following day to give a proper and detailed explanation to both Shinra and Celty. They owed the two that much.

In return, Shinra offered to waive off the consultation and treatment fees, as well as tell them everything they needed to know.

"Well," Yosuke finally spoke, after a long moment of silence that had descended when the pair left the doctor's apartment, "we didn't exactly have a choice back there, did we?"

"This arrangement benefits all of us, though," Souji replied, but inwardly he understood Yosuke's reluctance.

After all, how could you just walk up to a complete stranger, say that you could enter TVs and summon Personas, and expect the stranger to believe you weren’t a nutcase? Dojima still had some difficulty in believing the existence of the TV world, and he was Souji's biological _uncle_.

...But then again, Kishitani-sensei lived with someone who had no head. Perhaps that made a whole world of difference.

"Yeah, I guess." Yosuke shrugged. "Anyway I'll go over to Kishitani-sensei's after I visit Harima-chan in the hospital to do the explaining first. Head down there when your lecture's over and sort things out with Kishitani-sensei and Celty-san. We'll see how things go after that."

Souji was fine with the suggested arrangement, except for one tiny detail. "You're going back to the hospital tomorrow?"

"Erm...yeah..." Yosuke tried not to fidget. "You know how we can suddenly call out our Personas in this world now? I was thinking that...maybe Susano-O can heal Harima-chan's wound. I mean…I really don't know what else I can do for her."

Souji had no objections to that, deciding that it might be for the best if he didn't interfere too much. It was, ultimately, something Yosuke had to solve by himself.

"I understand," the leader of the Investigation Team said reassuringly. "Go for it, Yosuke."

Although he couldn't see it, Souji knew that his friend was smiling.

And with that, the pair continued their way back to their apartment, with Yosuke riding Souji's scooter and Souji sitting behind him.

***

**WE ARE S.S.I.D. - ONLINE HEADQUARTERS**

**< No one is online>**

**< No one is online>**

**< Myriad Truths has logged in>**

_Myriad Truths  
_ It's just as we thought.

 _Myriad Truths  
_ The Midnight Channel is back.

 _Myriad Truths_  
…And there's...something else we need to tell you guys.

 _Myriad Truths_  
...

 _Myriad Truths_  
Maybe I'll say it only when everybody's online...

**< Myriad Truths has logged out>**

**< No one is online>**

**< No one is online>**

……


	11. Interlude: To Face Oneself

**April 17, 2013**

The Midnight Channel is back.

That was the first thing she saw when she had logged into the group chatroom and checked the log, like she usually did every morning.

Seeing that message left behind by her leader was, admittedly, rather unsettling. But that was because the return of the Midnight Channel, the double-edged sword that played a pivotal role during the murders two years back, was enough to confirm that the case in Ikebukuro was indeed related to the case in Inaba. And since Souji - and by extension, Yosuke - must've had seen it, that meant that somebody appeared on the programme the night before.

And by following the usual pattern...

 _'...They will have to enter the TV world in order to save the victim,_ ' she realised, anxiety starting to build up within her.

No matter what the circumstances were back then, the team always went in using the large television in Junes' electronics department since it led to a place that was void of any hostile Shadows. Whenever they placed their hands on the screen, they did so with the belief that they would enter safely and not have to worry about getting ambushed by violent creatures capable of taking their lives effortlessly.

But there was no way of telling if Souji and Yosuke could find such a safe entrance in the vast city they now lived in.

And there was "something else" too...

_'I have to leave... I have to go help them.'_

Even as such thoughts filled her mind, however, she didn't take any action.

As the manager of the Amagi Inn, there were many areas that Yukiko had to take into account before she could arrive at a decision. She couldn't be so selfish as to leave the town straight away and push all the responsibilities of being a manager back to her mother. On top of that, the inn was particularly busy during this period of time; if she were to leave so suddenly, what were the staff to do with nobody around to delegate duties and run the inn?

There were the chefs, waitresses, room service crew...so many people that she was responsible for. There was simply no way Yukiko could leave them alone.

But if she had to be completely honest...part of her wanted to run away.

It wasn't because Yukiko felt burdened by taking over her family business. Not anymore.

She just wanted a taste of life outside Inaba, a taste of how it was like to be independent. While she truly loved Inaba, Yukiko wanted to spread her wings and explore what lied beyond this quiet little town.

And now an opportunity presented itself before her.

She knew, however, that if she took it and experienced for herself a life without the inn...she might not want to come back. And such a possibility frightened her.

 _"Yet you still want to leave, don't you?"_ Yukiko's grip on her kimono tightened. _"You just wish you could abandon your life here and go somewhere far, far away. Well, this is it. This is your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Just tell everyone that your friends in the city are in trouble and need your help. It's the perfect excuse to get what you want."_

_'…That's--'_

"Yuki-chan?"

The raven-haired girl quickly looked up. "M...mother..."

The former manager brought up a hand to cover her gaping mouth. "Is something the matter, Yuki-chan? You look so pale...! Do you feel unwell somewhere?!"

"N-no, I'm fine. Really. I'm just..." Unable to look at her mother in the eye after her internal struggle from before, the manager looked away, her hands quivering.

Amagi inhaled, then released her breath. "Yuki-chan, are you worried about your friends in the city?"

_'...Eh?'_

Yukiko couldn't help but glance up, then. The former manager flashed her a reassuring smile. "You and your friends were caught up in that terrible case two years ago, weren't you? Dojima-san came over to tell me about it some time ago."

"H...huh..." Yukiko briefly wondered just how much did Dojima-san reveal about their involvement with the case.

"And then I remembered that pleasant boy you used to make lunches for... Seta-kun, was it? You mentioned that he's now living in that particular area where that body was found."

Yukiko could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. "I-it's not only Seta-kun, Mother...! Th-there's Hanamura-kun, too."

"Oh my, no wonder you made so many boxed lunches back then."

"Ahh...Mother..."

Amagi giggled. "I'm just kidding." Then, she looked over the manager tenderly, like a mother would her newborn, and nodded, mostly to herself. "But you know, Yuki-chan... You're already all grown up now. You should know how to think for yourself without us telling you what to do. So...if you believe that you need to be with your friends, then..."

Yukiko instinctively brought both her hands to her chest and took a quick step back before recovering. "Eh...?! Mother, what are you saying?! I...I can't just..."

"It's alright, Yuki-chan. Yes, the inn needs you. _We_ need you. But right now, your friends need you more, and we can't be so selfish as to keep you here knowing that."

"......"

"Don't worry about us, Yuki-chan. We can handle things by ourselves until you return. Why, I wasn't the manager for nothing, you know!" The former manager chuckled at that.

Yukiko stared at her mother blankly, and then she finally allowed herself to smile. _'That's right... Here, there are people who love and cherish me. The people who knew, right from the start, that I didn't want to be the manager; that I wanted to run away. And yet, they believe that even if I were to leave, I'd come back..._

_'...No more doubting myself. Not when there are so many people who believe in me. Yes, I still want to run away. But I'll come back. After all, I won't be able...to find people who could love and accept me like everyone at the inn can...'_

The young manager pursed her trembling lips, and nodded shakily. "Thank you... Thank you, Mother..."

Amagi smiled.

\--And somewhere, deep within Yukiko's soul, Amaterasu shone brightly in approval.

***

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punish you, Satonaka."

"Erm... Because I...am a good cadet...?"

"A good cadet," the officer paused to give her a pointed look, "wouldn't use her phone knowing very well that it is against the academy rules. Especially when you were expected to fall in with the rest of the cadets."

Chie couldn't help but wince. "I'm really sorry, Inspector sir, but it was an emergency."

"I don't see how logging into an online chatroom can be considered an emergency. Would you be so kind as to enlighten me on that?"

Except that it'd be kinda useless, because no matter how Chie could try to twist things around, she knew that the police inspector would see it as some sloppy excuse to escape the consequences of her actions.

Still, Chie figured that she should at least try. "Uh... That's the only way my friends can contact me? A-and they only use it when something serious has happened, so I thought I--"

"Satonaka," the inspector cut in quietly, "why do you want to become a police officer?"

"H-huh? 'Why'...?"

 _"Because I'm a coward,"_ a familiar voice suddenly sneered in her head. _"I'm as worthless as dirt on the ground, but I'm scared to admit it. Who cares about protecting innocent people? I just want others to see me as someone who is far more capable than who I really am."_

...Maybe so, but Chie knew that wasn't completely true. Upholding the law, maintaining peace... Didn't most people aspire to become cops to do just that? Chie felt that the same could be applied to her as well, but while she didn't believe herself to be any different from those people, perhaps her reasons ran a little deeper than the usual textbook answer.

After the murders happened, Chie realised that, over the course of the entire year, she had developed a true sense of pride and love for the town she grew up in. Sure, it didn't have anything special, and the people living there weren't especially outstanding, but it was the place she was born in, and the place where her family and friends were.

It was the town that she and her friends fought so fiercely to protect.

So from the bottom of her heart, Chie wished she could have the power to protect the town in order to protect the people living in it. Maybe she was still a coward, but that didn't change the fact that she truly wanted the best for Inaba and its townspeople, and if there was any way she could do to help, Chie would gladly take it.

And if that meant being a cop capable of protecting those dear to her, then Chie would do just that.

Suzuka Gongen gave a firm nod.

"...Because I want to protect people," she replied, confidence bursting forth from within her. Disregarding the unimpressed look on her superior's features, Chie continued, "Two years ago, there was a serial murder case in my hometown, Inaba, and the culprit was someone on the force. He said...that he became a cop just so he could legally carry a gun."

The inspector raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

"If lots of people on the force became police officers for selfish reasons like that, it's unfair to the normal people, isn't it? I mean, they wouldn't feel safe. So I...I want to become someone who can protect them. That's why I want to become a cop, sir."

"...I see." He still didn't look that impressed with Chie's answer, but at least he had stopped giving her the hard, cold gaze. "An interesting reason, but still rather commonplace, understandably. I will accept it, however."

Chie just barely heaved a sigh of relief, but remembered where she was and stopped herself.

"I asked you this," the auburn-haired man said, "because I want you to recall the very reason why you are here right now. Satonaka, you're a bright one. Even though it's only been a few days, I've been told by the other officers that you've got the potential to go far, and I'm happy to hear that. But it is precisely because it has only been a few days that I'm appalled to see you breaking the rules. For that, you have to be punished."

The brunette flinched. "I...I understand, Inspector."

"Good. Now--"

**_Pipipipi! Pipipipi! ... Pipipipi! Pipipipi!_ **

Both of them turned towards the source of the sound - a cell phone lying on top of the inspector's desk, its screen flashing as it vibrated and rung incessantly.

The man glanced up at Chie curtly. "...Excuse me," he spoke, before he grabbed the phone and turned, his back facing her as he answered the call.

Chie spent the next few awkward minutes staring at the ground blankly. _'...I'm gonna get punished for using my phone by a police officer who is using his phone. How ironic.'_

"Satonaka."

Chie nearly leapt at the mention of her name. "Y-yes sir?"

"You may pack your things and leave."

"...Um, huh?"

"I'm granting you official leave to settle that 'emergency' of yours."

Chie was dumbfounded. "Eh? But..."

The inspector ignored that. "Make full use of it, Satonaka. I expect you to be back once you're done." Then he looked at her sternly. "But don't misunderstand, this doesn't mean you won't be made to stay back on weekends to make up for all the training you've missed. You best be prepared for that."

The brunette was so shocked and happy that she didn't know how to respond. When she realised that she had been staring at the inspector with her jaw dropped for quite some time, Chie blinked out of her stupor, and then raised her foot and stomped as she fell into an upright position, giving her superior a salute.

"Tha...thank you, sir!"

The inspector flashed her the tiniest of smiles.

***

"I believe you heard that, Shirogane. Now, could you please elaborate on why you made such a strange request?"

Naoto resisted the urge to sigh. She knew there was no running away from this, especially not after she gave the man a call out of the blue just to ask him to let a cadet off. If she had a choice, however, she would've had preferred to keep things from him.

But there were no qualms about it. Satonaka-senpai was crucial to the team. Everyone was. It would be extremely unfair to the rest, therefore, if any of them couldn't turn up when someone had the power to lend their assistance.

And in this case, purely by a stroke of luck, Naoto happened to have the contact number of the police officer overseeing the training of this year's batch of cadets in her possession.

"It's just as I said, Inspector," the detective replied calmly. "I am acquainted with Satonaka Chie-san. I understand that it was inappropriate for me to request for you to give Satonaka-san official leave without a valid reason, but there has been an emergency and her presence is essential, thereby necessitating this call."

Naoto heard the man sigh. "That isn't what I meant, and you know it, Shirogane."

Yes, she supposed she did, unfortunately. She had been hoping she could avoid giving the inspector all the details, but the both of them were probably too sharp for their own good to not notice the subtlety behind each other's words. It was strangely refreshing, however, to have such a conversation with an esteemed member of the force like the inspector himself.

Most of the others she had had the...privilege to meet often labelled her as a child at first sight and treated her as such. Even though she was now approaching the age of eighteen and no longer concealing her gender, they remained firm in their belief that she was incapable of great accomplishments in this - she loathed to admit - male-oriented and adult profession.

So having a man, who held a respectable position on the force and had many years of experience, taking her seriously and having a mature conversation with her was certainly something worth treasuring.

"...Yes, you're right, Inspector. It is true that Satonaka-san...no, Satonaka-senpai and I are acquainted. We were once students of Yasogami High School situated in the town of Inaba. And...we are members of an unofficial investigation team that pursued the truth behind the serial murder case that had taken place at that town two years ago."

"...I knew it. No wonder the air around Satonaka struck me as familiar somehow... After I looked through her file and heard about her reason for becoming a police officer, I became even more convinced." A pause. "Shirogane, be honest with me. You and Satonaka, and the other members of that team... You're all Persona-users, aren't you."

Naoto's eyes widened.

"In...Inspector."

"Don't bother covering it up. I sensed it at the very moment of our last reunion. The air around you... It felt different from how I remembered it. And there is also the fact that you've changed ever since the Inaba case was resolved. It can't all be a coincidence now, can it?”

Naoto drew in a slow, steady breath as she contemplated over how to proceed.

The first thing that flashed through her mind was to lie. But that would be futile. In fact to do so thinking that she would get by was tantamount to insulting the inspector's interrogation skills. Naoto had no desire to learn about what unthinkable consequences making that decision would result in.

The next was to simply tell the truth, but what good would that do to the team? There was no telling what the inspector would do with the knowledge that they were Persona-users. Even though Naoto knew him personally, she hadn't exactly built that much of a rapport with him to the point that she could predict the man’s every action.

 _'...That isn't my expertise, after all,'_ the detective mused, almost sourly. For a reason unknown to anyone but her.

 _"There you go again, your mind wandering off on its own instead of focusing on what's at hand. Your attention span is still like that of a child's. It's no wonder the grown-ups still think of you as one. Except that it's worse now, isn't it? What with everyone treating you like a little_ girl _? Huh, Shirogane Naoto-_ chan _?"_

Navy blue eyes narrowed.

 _"When was the last time you've been called to a case involving a major crime? The last time you actually pulled out that gun to apprehend criminals? The last time people sincerely needed your help? You know it better than anyone else."_ A cackle. _"Let's face it, you still wish you had gone through that bodily alteration procedure, don't you...?"_

"...Shirogane?"

Naoto finally released the breath she had been holding, automatically shutting the taunting voice out as she continued the conversation, "I'm sorry. I was...thinking. About the matter you have brought up."

"I understand." The inspector didn't sound convinced at all, however. "If it inconveniences you to explain everything to me, Shirogane, it's perfectly fine. All I want to hear from you is whether my deduction was right...or not."

The young detective closed her eyes. "Before I go into that, Inspector, may I ask one question?"

"You may."

Naoto held back a resigned sigh. "Inspector, you mentioned that I changed after the case in Inaba was resolved..." Her grip on her cell phone tightened slightly. "Do you truly believe that it is a positive one?"

There was silence over the phone before she heard the man sigh and say, in an affirmative yet soothing tone, "...Naoto. You had been hiding the most important part of yourself for such a long time, and now that you've finally decided not to, you're hesitant about that decision. And I understand that. So if you really want an honest opinion...when I heard about your decision from Shirogane-san, I was truly happy for you."

"...!"

"What you were doing before... I wouldn't say that it was entirely wrong of you, but over the years, Naoto, I saw that passion of yours towards your work being masked by your determination to present yourself as the ideal detective defined by society. That, to me, diminished the meaning of becoming a detective in the first place. But you seemed resolute on that, and furthermore I am in no position to lecture you, so I left you be in the hopes that you would rediscover your passion, but I didn't think--"

The man had paused, then, before he continued, "Regardless, you have succeeded, and for that, I am relieved and happy for you. Whatever it is that is making you hesitate, Naoto, be it society or yourself, remember that what's most important is for you to be true to yourself. So...don't be afraid to change if that's what you believe you ought to do."

Naoto was stunned.

 _'...Yes, that's right,’_ she thought to herself, after carefully considering the inspector’s words. _‘I made a promise to Senpai and the others. That I would not fear change, but embrace and encourage it. What society thinks of me shouldn't affect my decision to change...not anymore. As long as the fact that there are people who would accept everything about me remains, nothing else matters.'_

Yamato Takeru danced about merrily. Naoto stifled a giggle at that.

"If it's of any comfort to you..." the inspector suddenly spoke, capturing Naoto's immediate attention, " _that_ never goes away. Even when the years have passed and you have become older, wiser, jaded...there will be some part of you that will always remain. But that is exactly what it means to be human, I suppose."

...Now the man sounded like he was no longer referring to her alone, but someone else. And possibly even--

"...Inspector...?"

A melancholic sigh. "...Never mind. Forget I said that."

***

When Kanji heard about the message his senpai left on the chatroom from Yukiko, the first thing he did was to bolt out of Yasogami High's school gates before lessons even started.

_'The hell? Why is the Midnight Channel back? We caught the bastard and beat the shit outta that Izanami, didn't we? And what's this "something else" Senpai can't say till everyone's online? What the hell is going on...?!'_

Such thoughts rampaged through Kanji's mind wildly as he dashed down the path leading him back home.

The moment he reached the entrance of Tatsumi Textiles, the adolescent roughly shoved the door open and ran up to his room on the second floor. He scrambled to pack some random clothes into the largest bag he could find, and hurriedly checked every corner of his room for the glasses made by Teddie.

Kanji was flipping his futon over when he heard someone say, "Who left the door open...?" Then he turned, and saw an elderly woman make her way up the steps. She stopped when she noticed his presence. "Huh? Kanji-chan?"

The black-haired teen dropped whatever he was holding, looking like a deer caught in headlights. "M-Ma..."

"What are you doing here? Don't you have school today?" His mother continued her way up the stairs and walked towards him. "And what are you doing with that bag and pile of clothes? Are you going away on a school trip again?"

Kanji inwardly cursed at himself barging in unprepared; he knew his mother was usually at home, so he should've had expected to see her, but his mind was so caught up by what had happened in Ikebukuro that he hadn't considered that.

"Uh, this ain't what it looks like, Ma..." was the first thing that came to Kanji's mind.

The elderly woman looked confused for a moment. "Oh, so you're not packing for a school trip? Then what are you packing for?"

"I'm, uh..."

He wanted to tell her the truth so that he could leave without feeling the guilt of lying to his mother. But then Kanji thought about it carefully. If he were to leave for the city just like that, he'd be leaving his mother behind in Inaba. Managing the store, all alone, with no one to take care of her.

That wasn't how he should be treating her. She deserved better than that. Better than--

 _"Better than a messed-up son like me."_ Kanji directed his eyes to the floor, almost ashamedly. _"Liking things that only girls enjoy doing... Picking fights with gangs... I'm always causing her trouble. And now that I’m finally doing something good for her, I pack up and leave her behind. That’s great. That’s great, Tatsumi._

_“Y’know, maybe Ma'd be happier without me. Yeah, that's right... No matter how great she is, maybe, all along, she..."_

Kanji could feel his mind starting to go haywire and his heart thumping like a sledgehammer at that. Fear and self-directed disgust were beginning to swell up within him. He felt his fingers curl into tight fists without him consciously commanding them to.

"...? Kanji-chan, what's wrong?"

 _‘Everything about me_ ,’ he had wanted to tell her, but he was so numbed by the fear of his own mother rejecting him that Kanji couldn't even get his voice working.

"Really, Kanji-chan, what's wrong? You're starting to get me worried..."

Kanji didn't want to think of all the other instances when he made her worried.

"...Ma," he finally managed to choke out, glancing up from the ground to look into his mother's eyes. He drew in a sharp breath before he exhaled, and loosened his fists. "Senpai and Yosuke-senpai are in trouble, so I...I'm leavin' Inaba. To help 'em out. And I...I 'unno when I'll be back."

The entire room fell silent.

Even as he turned his head away, Kanji could feel his mother's questioning gaze directed at him. It was painful, being looked at like that.

He could just imagine it: soon his Ma would scold him for trying to play truant, and then disappointedly leave him be. She'd probably not send him off, too. And maybe, just maybe, she'd find out that she was happier that way, without having to bother with a son like him anymore.

So when he felt warm, wrinkled fingers brush against his cheek tenderly, as opposed to what he had imagined, Kanji held his breath and found himself unable to release it.

"My Kanji-chan has grown up to be such a fine man now," his mother murmured. "Always thinking about the well-being of others instead of your own, even going so far as to leave the town in order to help them... I'm so proud of you, Kanji-chan."

Kanji stared at her dazedly before stuttering, "B-but Ma, I..."

"Yes, I know, my dear. I know why you're reluctant to leave. But I don't mind, Kanji-chan." The widow smiled wistfully. "It'll be lonely, yes...but knowing that you're doing it for your friends makes me happy. You didn't have any friends when you were younger, so I was worried about you, but looking at you now, and the you two years ago after that nice Seta-kun came along, I realise...I don't have to anymore."

"...Ma..."

Tatsumi nodded. "It's alright, dear. Your ol' Ma here will be just fine by herself. But most importantly, Kanji-chan, I want _you_ to take good care of yourself when you're in the city. Ma won't be there to look after you, so do it for me. I don't want to see you back with a bug you caught there, you know."

Kanji's eyes widened. "Ma, you...you want me to come back?"

"What? Of course I do! Where on earth did you get such a silly idea that I don't?" She laughed as if she had just heard the worst joke in her whole life, before she turned and left the room, muttering something about train tickets and sending someone off.

Kanji, on the other hand, wanted to bang his head against the wall repeatedly for ever doubting his own mother.

This was the person who raised him single-handedly without any complaints. The person who had to experience the pain of losing a loved one, and still had the courage and perseverance to care for a son that gave her nothing but trouble. Even when the townspeople gave her shit for all the things he did, she took it all with a smile and never once doubted him.

And yet here he was, doubting this very person's love for him when it was so damn clear that she did.

 _'...Man, what kind of son am I?'_ Kanji thought, inwardly laughing at his stupidity and cowardice. _'I'm so scared of being rejected that I didn't even believe my own Ma… But I shouldn't be this scared anymore. Some wimp who's scared shitless of being rejected that he's started rejecting everything around him -  that ain't all there is to me, after all.'_

 _"IT ISN'T,"_ a familiar voice, sounding much too similar to his own, boomed in his head. Kanji flinched at the sudden mental outburst.

Then, he stifled a chuckle, and continued packing.

***

_"You should just leave them be."_

"N-no, I--"

_"What point is there in mingling with humans? They understand not your predicament, neither can they fathom the pain such meaningless gatherings bring you. You should abandon them...return from where you came from..."_

"I...I don't understand what you're talking about."

And he honestly didn't, no matter how hard he tried to. Teddie thought and thought...just like he used to do after he first met Sensei and the others. But this time, Teddie could understand nothing about what the scary voice had said.

Pre...predicament, was it? And pain? Meaningless? Why, Teddie never thought of himself and everyone else that way!

 _"You are a Shadow, the same kind of monsters you and your so-called 'friends' had been fighting some time back,"_ the voice continued mercilessly. _"And being with them hurts you, because you know that you can never be what they are... Human. You are simply a Shadow, a manifestation of the inner thoughts of the creatures known as humans. Why try so hard to achieve the unattainable? You should just return to the fog...return to the blissful lie, where you don't have to suffer anymore..."_

Teddie shook his head harshly, his breaths becoming quick and short. "No...! Y-you're wrong! I don't want that... I don't ever want that!"

The voice chuckled. _"Perhaps not...but once you recover all of your memories, you'll understand..."_

But hadn't Teddie already remembered everything? How could there be anything else he wasn't remembering, then?

He knew he was a Shadow, and that Shadows couldn't live together with humans - Nao-chan called it "co-existing" - but Teddie was here in the human world right now, wasn't he? And Sensei and the others said that Teddie wasn't like the other Shadows because he developed something called an "ego"... So, didn't that mean that everything else before Teddie met Sensei wasn't important to him anymore?

"I...I don't want to understand..."

Because Teddie had a feeling that if he did, maybe Sensei and the others wouldn't want him around anymore. And then maybe...maybe he'd revert back to a normal Shadow again. Something like that was just...

Teddie really didn't want to think about it anymore. "Just go away!" he cried, clutching his head. "Sensei... Yosuke..."

Teddie needed them. Desperately.

Whenever he was at a loss, Teddie would always turn to Sensei for help. But after Sensei left, Teddie found himself relying more on Yosuke instead. Sensei was still the better listener, but Yosuke was... Teddie didn't know how to put it.

While Sensei made Teddie believe that he could do anything as long as he tried, Yosuke was the one who showed him what it really meant to live. Yosuke took him in, and gave him a place to stay, where he saw and felt love. From Yosuke, from his mom, even his dad; Teddie saw what it was like to have a family. And through that, Teddie felt alive.

Now Yosuke was like a second Sensei to him. Of course, there was no replacing the original Sensei, but Yosuke was special to him too. So if Teddie were to face any trouble, he knew he would have at least one of them to turn to.

It wasn't like Teddie couldn't rely on the others. They were all great, and Teddie loved them all. But Sensei and Yosuke were…different somehow. Maybe it was because he was the only one who was together with them when they both awakened to their Personas?

Teddie didn't know. All he did know was that right now, he wished they were here with him. He wanted them to tell him that everything would be okay; that he didn't have to leave even if he might one day no longer be the Teddie everyone knew.

"Teddie?"

The blond whipped around, and immediately let his arms fall to his sides the moment he saw who was behind him. "Na...Nana-chan..."

Nanako tilted her head to the side innocently. "Are you alright? You don't look too good..."

"U-uumm...” Teddie shook his head. “I'm okay, Nana-chan. I was just... I was just thinking about Sensei and the others."

"...Oh." Nanako casted her eyes downward. "So Teddie misses them, too..."

"...Un," was all the blond could manage.

"It's not so bad, though. Teddie's here, and so are Yukiko onee-chan and Kanji onii-chan, so I'm not lonely at all," Nanako said with a quiet giggle.

Teddie bit his lower lip, suddenly realising what the whole thing could mean to her.

With Sensei, Yosuke, Chie-chan, Rise-chan and Nao-chan gone, all that was left of their group in Inaba was Yuki-chan, Kanji, and Teddie himself. Nana-chan was already lonely enough with Sensei leaving, but now...

Now the last few of the team would have to leave, too.

Teddie couldn't bring himself to tell Nana-chan that. It was just too cruel.

"But if..." Nanako murmured, keeping her head low. "...if Teddie and Yukiko onee-chan and Kanji onii-chan need to leave, I understand."

Teddie's eyes widened. "Eh...?"

Nanako shuffled her feet. "Dad said that Onii-chan and Yosuke onii-chan are in some kind of trouble. And that they need everyone's help." She raised her head and gave Teddie a bright smile. "I don't really get it, but if Onii-chan needs you and everyone else there, then I hope everyone can go! It'll be lonely, but I've got Dad with me, and my friends from school too, so I'll be okay!"

"...Nana-chan..."

"Onii-chan and Yosuke onii-chan must be lonely, too. And I know that if Teddie is there with them, everything will be okay, so..." The girl ran up and held Teddie's hand in both of her own, her eyes gleaming and her face wearing a broad, cheerful smile. "So don't worry, Teddie!”

 _'...Everything will be okay...?'_ Teddie felt a warmth slowly envelope him upon hearing Nanako's words. _'Sensei and Yosuke and everyone else... They need me...? A Shadow like me…?'_

"Nana-chan..."

Nanako looked a bit sad. "I've got school, so I can't send you off... But I'm here now, so..." Brightening up, she exclaimed, "Come back safely, Teddie!"

"......!"

Then, for the first time since the breaking of dawn, Teddie smiled. "I…I will! Thank you, Nana-chan!"

Kamui leapt up and down euphorically.

***

In a recording studio located in Shibuya, as early as seven in the morning, a popular high school idol who had made her grand return to showbiz one year ago was being worked to death.

"No no no, you were off-tempo at that last part. Do it again."

She did.

"Hmm, not quite good enough. Your words were slurred over. Let's record it again."

And they did that.

"......"

The music director turned to give the man responsible for the vocal recordings an accusing look. "I-I'm sorry, I forgot to record that!"

All the staff present sighed. The music director shook his head. "I understand we're all tired right now. Fine, let's rest for a moment. Except for you," he said, pointing at a bespectacled man. "You, come with me. We need to work out the details concerning Risette's schedule. The rest of you can take a break."

Heaving an exhausted sigh, Rise reached up to remove her headphones and dragged herself out of the recording area into her dressing room. The brunette immediately collapsed into the sofa, and gave out another sigh.

"Ugh...are they trying to literally bury me with work?" the idol muttered to herself, tiredly taking out her pink clamshell phone and tapping on the keys. "I wonder if Senpai was online yesterday...huh?"

Hazel eyes glanced over the text rapidly and repeatedly. Rise bolted upright. "No way... So it really is...!?"

Staring at the screen, Rise took a deep breath. Then she clammed the phone shut and  placed it beside her on the couch. "What should I do...? If Senpai and the others are gonna go inside the TV, they'll need Kanzeon, but I can't just leave--"

 _"Oh yes, you can,"_ a voice Rise was all too familiar with rang in her head. _"Be honest with yourself. You want to quit being an idol again, right? Ever since you returned to the stage, it's been "Risette this" or "Risette that", non-stop. And for what? Being overshadowed by other idols who are more popular than you are? Just admit it, you're so sick of it, aren't you?"_

...It was true. Just partially, though. But that didn't mean that Rise was denying that she did feel a little troubled.

She couldn't bring herself to tell the others lest they got worried, but... When she first announced her decision to return to showbiz a year back, she was met with a rather lukewarm response from the general populace of the city, where she used to carve a name for herself. Rise thought that was to be expected, considering how people living in the city were like and how fast-rising stars from rival companies - and even her own - were gaining widespread popularity after she left the industry.

Inoue-san was the only one in the company she used to belong to who was truly happy about her return. He even made a special request to be her manager again. It made Rise feel bad about how she had treated him when he took the trouble to go all the way to Inaba to persuade her back to the stage.

But that was it, really. Aside from starring in some small-scale ads and landing herself in a few minor roles in dramas, she pretty much had nothing to do. On the other hand, Rise saw for herself how her seniors in the profession, especially Kasuka-senpai and Ruri-senpai, were involved in loads of promotional work and made multiple appearances on the silver screen over the course of just a few weeks. Even her juniors were quickly becoming more well-known than she was.

Inoue-san had worked particularly hard in order to give her something to do so that she could regain her "former glory", as he had put it, and Rise was extremely grateful to him, but it didn't make her feel any less discouraged.

Until one day, a golden opportunity presented itself before her.

Rise remembered having had to undergo a complete makeover, then, in order to appear more presentable for the starring role in a movie alongside Kasuka-senpai. It was her first time working with him, so Rise was a little nervous, but she did her job well and the movie became a big hit despite the initial outcry about the lack of Ruri-senpai.

Soon after that, directors and producers of all sorts started contacting her manager, giving Rise all the chances she needed to regain her footing in the entertainment world. At first, Rise was really happy about the work and critical acclaim she was getting, but in the end it wasn't enough to match the prowess of Kasuka-senpai and Ruri-senpai's names nationwide.

So the company gave her even more work to do, which she had to accept begrudgingly. It was like taking away her time to be Kujikawa Rise and brainwashing her into becoming a 24/7 Risette; it was insane and absolutely exhausting.

It even made Rise question herself again and again: was she Rise, an ordinary high school student born in the humble town of Inaba, or was she Risette, the outgoing and bubbly teen idol trying too hard to climb up the popularity ranks?

But now, looking at the messages her Senpai left on the chatroom, and thinking back to the time when she was still in Inaba...

 _'They're both me, aren't they?'_ Rise mused, recalling the resolve she had made and the conversations she had with Senpai two years back. _'And it's not just that... There are a whole lotta people besides them who are also me...who are all Kujikawa Rise. I don't have to choose one or the other when they're all me at the same time.’_

Rise nodded to herself.

_'I'm Rise, your average high school student born in Inaba. I'm also Risette, the teen idol who takes everything she's fed with a smile. And I'm also--'_

Then, there was a knock on the door. "Rise," a muffled male voice spoke, "it's me, Inoue."

"Oh. Come on in."

Her manager briskly entered the dressing room, keeping his head low as he flipped through the notepad in his hand. "It’s about your new schedule. The director and I have had a discussion, and he said that if everything goes smoothly for the morning, he'd be able to have your album released by early May, so in the meantime, we'll need to arrange for press conferences to promote your new album. Is that alright with you?"

"Mm-hm," Rise replied, nodding readily.

Inoue seemed mildly surprised, but recovered quickly. "Okay then, I'll relay your consent to the higher-ups. As for the venues, we'll start off with Shibuya first, since--"

An idea struck the idol there and then.

"Wait, Inoue-san."

The idol's manager looked up from his notes. "Yes?"

"When's the earliest we can start doing all the promotion work?"

Inoue lightly pushed his spectacles up the bride of his nose. "Uh...well, if you're keen, we can start after your recording session today.”

Rise's eyes sparkled. "Say...then can we start with Ikebukuro first? Right after the recording?"

“…Hah?”

At Inoue’s baffled expression, the brunette couldn’t help but let out a giggle.

_'--And I'm also Rise, a proud member of a team that investigated the kidnappings and murders in Inaba two years back...and someone everyone else can be proud of, too.'_

Kanzeon sung quietly, but joyfully.


	12. April 17 2013, Daytime

**April 17, 2013**

"You sure you don't need me to send you there?"

For the umpteenth time that morning, Souji chuckled and shook his head. "Yes, I'm sure, Yosuke. I'll be fine going to the university on my own."

The brunet rolled his eyes. "Yeah, says the guy who couldn't get any sleep last night because of a diced back."

Souji was tempted to challenge him, but in hindsight, Yosuke wasn't wrong in saying that and expressing his concern. Even though Souji listened to Shinra's advice, he still couldn't get enough sleep anyway, since he wasn't used to sleeping on his sides; his body would instinctively shift such that Souji could sleep like he always did, but that was absolute murder on his patched-up back.

But something else about what Yosuke had said struck him as strange.

"How did you know I couldn't sleep last night?"

Yosuke seemed genuinely surprised. "What, so you were up all night for real? It was just a lucky guess."

...Well, that did make sense. While he had been trying not to show it, Souji was admittedly rather sleep-deprived so it wouldn't be all that unusual for him to slip up a bit. And considering that they were such good friends, even the tiniest tell-tale sign wouldn't go unnoticed.

"I see," Souji replied thoughtfully before he got up, his shoes properly put on. "Well, I'll be going off now. I'll text you when my lecture's over."

"Ah, right. Be careful, dude."

Souji nodded and waved back to his friend. Then, after closing the door behind him, he began to make his way to Raira University.

Stepping out of the apartment building, Souji was welcomed by the wet and cool air in his surroundings. As the breeze brushed against his face, he could feel the dampness present in it, a clear sign that it had rained heavily the night before. Almost instantaneously, his nose started to itch, so the adolescent quickly buttoned up his jacket and took out a piece of tissue paper, just to play safe.

The walk to his university was uneventful, thankfully. Unlike the previous night, Souji wasn't detecting any malicious intent directed at him anymore, neither was he attacked by strangers for no apparent reason.

But being extremely cautious by nature, the leader of the Investigation Team occasionally looked over his shoulder to see if anyone suspicious had been stalking him. The fact that he found no such person did little to reassure him. Sometimes Souji wondered if he had always been this wary of his surroundings, or if it was a habit he developed over the course of leading his team in a world fraught with unknown perils.

In the end, Souji made it to the School of Psychology campus safely, and felt more at ease, then. He slowly walked over to the lift, and got off on the second floor where his designated lecture theatre was located.

Souji was about to enter the lecture theatre when he noticed something glistening at the edge of his vision. Instinctively he glanced to his right, but found nothing except for another lecture theatre nearby. Shrugging, he lightly shoved the door open and stepped into his designated lecture theatre.

It was quite vast, capable of holding three hundred undergraduates, allegedly. And it was almost filled, too. But it didn't look like the lecture had already started, so Souji wasn't worried about his punctuality and leisurely made his way up some steps to a vacant seat when a voice stopped him.

"Ah, Seta-kun."

Souji turned around. "Oh, Professor."

Out of politeness, Souji walked down the steps and towards the elderly man who had taught him on his first day in this university. The professor stroked his now slightly hairier chin. "I see that you made it in time. I was about to begin. Good for you."

"Thank you," Souji replied with a natural smile.

"I hope you didn't get lost and enter the wrong lecture theatre on the way here.” The man paused to chuckle. “Though that isn't possible, since this is the only lecture theatre on this floor."

_'...? But, just now--'_

"Professor, isn't there another lecture theatre just a few steps away from us?"

The professor raised an eyebrow. "No, not at all."

Souji frowned slightly. He was sure - no, absolutely positive - that there was another theatre. He even saw its number, in large blocked symbols that had been embedded into the wall. There was no way he could've had just imagined the presence of a whole lecture theatre that was even numbered.

"Forgive me for asking," the freshman said, "but...is there a LT21 in this school?"

Now both of the professor's eyebrows were arched. He scratched his chin absentmindedly, his eyes rolling to his left as he sifted through the memories archived in his mind. "Well, that sure does ring a bell... I'm certain that I've never seen a lecture theatre numbered as twenty-one, though. Perhaps it was one of those halls that got relocated to another school. I never did pay attention during staff meetings, after all. Hahaha! You really are quite the odd one, Seta-kun, to ask about that!"

Seeing the professor suddenly break into merry laughter, the other undergraduates present started murmuring to each other; from where he had been standing, Souji could hear hints of impatience, as well as tinges of confusion and amusement, all at the same time.

But more importantly, the professor himself appeared to be too distracted to notice if Souji were to slip out. Doubts flashing through his mind, Souji quickly but subtly turned around and pushed the theatre's door open lightly before rushing out of the hall. He stood by the entrance, pulling the door shut, and then directed his attention at what was across him.

And sure enough, there it was - the LT21 he had claimed to have seen.

It looked like any other ordinary lecture theatre: large doors; numbered plates dangling at its entrance and exit; its given number boldly painted across its width. Yet it gave off this mystical aura which felt...familiar, somehow, and to add on further, if his professor couldn't see it, that must mean--

Without any second thoughts, Souji placed his hand on the handle and pushed the door open.

"......!!"

It was just as he had suspected, yet completely unexpected at the same time.

For it was much more massive than when he had last visited the place.

There was even a short flight of stairs leading to an elevated platform, where there were a few unfamiliar faces.

A long-haired man near the edge of the platform, appearing to be in his thirties or so and wearing a pair of shades, was standing before an empty canvas with a brush in one hand and a palette of paint in the other. He was wearing a simple-looking attire and a red beanie, and looked like a professional painter in every single angle possible.

Directly across him, on the opposite edge of the platform, was a woman covering her ears, and dressed in a low-cut gown, its top dyed a pale purple with a violet butterfly imprint, and its bottom a deep, soothing bluish purple. Her hair, appearing as alternate strips of blue and white, was slicked back. Her mouth hung open as she sang a soothing song, her melodious voice reverberating in the vast, velvety space.

Next to her was a navy blue-haired pianist, donned in a suit that shared the same shade of blue as his hair. A light blue cloth masked his eyes, acting as a blindfold. His fingers danced across the keys of a deep blue piano as he played the woman's accompaniment.

And sitting in a chair right in-between the two extreme ends, with a familiar blonde woman standing next to it, was--

"Well now... What an interesting turn of events."

A low, amused chuckle.

"It seems that you are destined for far greater things than I could ever hope to imagine..."

***

"I see... So that's what happened."

Resting comfortably on the doctor's sofa as he retold the story, Yosuke nodded.

Shinra hummed thoughtfully as he leaned back into his couch, taking a nonchalant sip of his tea, which had turned cold and stale. "To think that a serial murder case in a rural town like Inaba was of a paranormal origin... There really _are_ a lot of mysterious things out there in this world."

Then he put down the cup of tea and redirected his attention to the younger brunet. "Well, let me recap what you just told me to make sure I heard it right. Basically, people who showed up on this 'Midnight Channel' were the next to be kidnapped and killed, yes? And you and your friends possess this power called 'Personas' that enables you to rescue the potential victims by entering through television screens and fighting creatures known as 'Shadows'?"

"...That's basically it, yeah."

The edges of Shinra's lips curled into a smile as his eyes sparkled with morbid fascination. "I would love to see you and your friends in action someday, then! It'd be such an honour to be able to study this amazing power and these Shadow creatures you speak of in greater detail!"

Yosuke immediately bolted upright. "Um, wait, you...you really believe me?"

Shinra tilted his head to the side innocently. "But of course! What's not to believe?"

Yosuke could only stare at the underground doctor in utter amazement.

While it was a relief that Kishitani-sensei didn't write his story off as a mere lie like what most people would do, Yosuke hadn't expected the man to accept it so readily. He even wanted to study about Personas and Shadows when he never even saw or heard of them before this day. That was just...mind-blowing, for lack of a better word.

"So, Yosuke-kun," Shinra continued excitedly, like a child on Boxing Day, "are you able to summon your Persona in this world?"

Yosuke flinched. His mind wandered to memories of the previous night, when he and Souji got attacked by those crazy red-eyed people, and then it drifted to the memories of that morning, when he went to visit Harima-chan in the hospital. The brunet considered his answer carefully.

Then he finally sighed, and said, "...I...I don't know."

"Hmm? You don't? Have you ever tried?"

Yosuke fidgeted. "Well...when I first got my Persona, I tried calling him out when I got out of the TV, and it didn't work, so I figured that it was just a TV world thing...but last night, when Souji and I got ambushed, our Personas... They appeared without us telling them to."

The unlicensed physician kept his eyes on the younger brunet, using silence as a cue for the younger brunet to continue.

"But this morning, I tried again. I-I thought he'd come out, after what happened last night, but..."

"...he didn't," Shinra finished.

"...he didn't," Yosuke confirmed.

Indeed. After Susano-O made such a showy appearance last night, Yosuke had thought it would be a lot easier accessing his other self now. So, as he had initially planned, he went to the hospital where Harima was staying at with the intention of healing her. But when he was there and mentally nudged Susano-O, the Persona just wouldn't appear.

He tried and tried, again and again, but to no avail. Yosuke even came close to literally begging Susano-O for help, but it all amounted to nothing. All he could do was stare helplessly at the unconscious girl lying on the hospital bed, listening to her pained wheezes.

Yosuke sighed. "I'm so useless..."

"Huh? Did you say something, Yosuke-kun?"

Yosuke glanced up. "Uh...n-no, it's nothing." He inwardly slapped himself for saying something so pathetic out loud. "Well, enough about that. We can discuss in greater detail some other time. Right now, I need to learn more about the case."

"Oh, that's right," Shinra replied, nodding, though he did seem slightly disappointed at the change in topic. "You want to know who the next victims might be."

"Yeah... Kishitani-sensei, you told us yesterday that you know who the people that appeared on last night's Midnight Channel are. So...who are they?"

"Well, it's not like I can tell for sure," the physician said. "But I definitely found those figures familiar. The shapes, their actions...  They're oddly similar to Shizuo-kun and Orihara-kun, I find."

Finding the names vaguely familiar, Yosuke thought back to the events that had unfolded after he first moved to Ikebukuro. "You mean... Heiwajima Shizuo-san and Orihara Izaya-san?"

A momentary look of surprise swept across Shinra's features. "Oh, you've heard about them already? Hm, but then again, maybe that shouldn't come as much of a surprise..."

"Souji and I bumped into them a few days back. Not much later, Simon-san from Russia Sushi told us about them." Folding his arms, Yosuke leaned back into the sofa. "Now that I think about it, it makes sense for Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san to be the ones who appeared. After all, them being the witnesses who discovered that body is the talk of the town now." Then, the brunet lightly shook his head. "But, to have two people appearing at the same time...?"

Shinra looked at him curiously. "So being the talk of the town is related to the Midnight Channel? And no two people have appeared on the programme at the same time?"

“Well, in a way, yeah… And no, it’s always been just one person.” Yosuke's brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed slightly, painting a rather grave expression. "We'll tell you all the details about the Midnight Channel when there's more time. Right now, we gotta go warn Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san about them being the next targets."

"Warn? Shizuo-kun and Orihara-kun?" The underground doctor bit down on his lower lip. "Heh... I wouldn't worry about them if I were you."

"Wha--but they could be thrown in at any moment!"

"Relax, Yosuke-kun. They'll be fine." Shinra waved offhandedly. "I've known them personally for more than ten years, you know. And I've had the pleasure of watching them fight and treating their wounds for the past decade, so I know, very well, the extent to which they can protect themselves." He couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle. "Really, it's the killer you should be worried about, not them."

Yosuke shook his head. "No, Kishitani-sensei, you don't understand--"

"They'll be fine," Shinra repeated, the smile still plastered on his face. "Just ask Celty. She's seen them get at each other's throats, too. Right, honey?"

The doctor looked over his shoulder, expecting the Dullahan in the black rider suit to be standing somewhere in the living room and listening to the earlier conversation.

But Celty was nowhere to be seen.

And for some strange reason, the door leading to the main entrance was slightly ajar, as if someone from the apartment had dashed out in a hurry and forgotten to close the door properly.

Shinra stared after the door.

"...Honey?"

***

On the rooftop of Raira Academy, a private high school in West Ikebukuro, three students had gathered together to engage in an idle, friendly chat over their boxed lunches.

It was their own way of spending their usual lunch break at school, a habit that was cultivated during their first year in this school and now part of their normal everyday lives.

They hadn't always been together, though, with one of them leaving not only the school but Ikebukuro altogether towards the end of their first year. And while the remaining two tried their best to stay together as friends, the circumstances during their second year made it near impossible to do so, and they gradually drifted apart.

But after Masaomi came back and set things right...

To Ryuugamine Mikado, a person who sought a non-everyday life, something as ordinary as spending time with his two closest friends had become a jewel that had a special place in his heart. Something that, he felt, should always remain as part of his life.

Part of Mikado hoped that they could all stay out of the recent happenings in Ikebukuro, for once; it was a miracle that he, Masaomi and Anri could still remain as friends after everything that happened in the past two years. And Mikado really didn't want them to be caught in any more danger like they did in those two years, so when everything was finally settled and over and done with, Mikado was so relieved he couldn't ask for anything more.

Still...he wouldn't deny that there was another part of him that yearned to get involved in what was going on now.

"--ado? Oi, Mikado!"

"Uwah!"

The raven-haired boy gave a jolt when his childhood friend snapped his fingers right in his face.

Masaomi grinned. "What were you spacing out for? Oh! Lemme guess... Having dirty thoughts about our erotic and adorable Anri here, huh?" His brows raised up and down playfully as he hung his arm over the blushing Mikado's shoulder.

"M-Masaomi! Mou~" Mikado whined. "See? You're making Sonohara-san uncomfortable!"

"E-eh? I-I'm fine..." the bespectacled girl stammered, fidgeting. Her cheeks were tinted with pale shades of pink.

Masaomi gave an encouraging pat on his childhood friend's back. "Aww, look at you. I bet you have naughty, naughty thoughts about Anri all the time, but you're just too shy to admit it," he said as he poked Mikado's cheek lightly before he stole a glimpse of Anri’s red cheeks. "Man, you two are too adorable for your own good."

Mikado and Anri flushed furiously at that comment.

Masaomi laughed heartily before waving it off. "Okay, okay. Seriously, Mikado, what got you thinking so deeply like that? It's not like you to space out when Anri is talking."

"...Eh?"

The raven turned to face his classmate, who avoided his gaze when she noticed that he was looking at her.

"She was telling us about..." Masaomi paused, his features slowly pulling into a light frown, "...something that happened last night. About her...well, you know."

Mikado's eyes widened slightly before a look of guilt and shame was plastered onto his face. "I...I'm sorry, Sonohara-san, I--"

"No, no, it's okay," came Anri's quick, but quiet, reply. "I-it's nothing Mikado-kun and Masaomi-kun should be concerned about..."

Mikado's heart sank.

Whenever Sonohara-san said something like that, it normally signalled the end of the conversation, and that never failed to make Mikado especially upset since it wasn't easy getting Sonohara-san to open up in the first place. Mikado could understand her difficulties. Really. It was just that after all the storms and tribulations they had weathered together, Mikado thought he had become someone Sonohara-san could depend on.

Like...like a close friend.

So even though she had some kind of demonic sword living inside her, that shouldn't stand in the way of their friendship. At least, that was what Mikado thought.

"Don't say that, Anri," Masaomi said. The blond flashed Anri a bright smile. "Me and Mikado - we're your friends. Of course it should be something we gotta be concerned about."

Mikado beamed. "Masaomi..."

His childhood friend gave him a thumbs-up.

Anri stared at Masaomi for a moment, appearing to be considering his words carefully, before she directed her gaze to the floor. "...Yes, I...guess that's right... I'm sorry, Mikado-kun, Masaomi-kun."

"Aww, don't apologise, my dear angel~" the blond replied chirpily.

"Y-yeah, please don't apologise, Sonohara-san," Mikado said. "So, um...what happened?"

"Right... Um...r-remember when we were doing our cleaning duty, Mikado-kun? Wh-when two people came and talked to you?"

"Talked to--oh, you mean..." Mikado paused. "...Seta-san and Hanamura-san, was it?"

Anri nodded. "On the day Harima-san was attacked...I saw them at the hospital where Harima-san was staying at. They heard about what happened...but it's strange. They were there before I was."

"Huh, so they somehow knew that Mika got hurt, even before you did?" Masaomi folded his arms, his frown deepening. "Sounds fishy to me."

"Yes, I thought so too...so, I--" Anri stopped and hung her head even lower than before, appearing as though she were withdrawing into herself like a turtle into its shell. "I...asked someone to...keep an eye on them... But then, it suddenly turned into a whole group that attacked Seta-san and Hanamura-san. And they didn't listen when I asked them to stop..."

Mikado and Masaomi's eyes widened.

Anri shook her head. "I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have made the request for someone to follow them..."

Mikado shook his head at that. "But you weren't in the wrong at all, Sonohara-san."

"Yeah, for all we know, they could be followers of the Slasher. You just wanted to play it safe," Masaomi agreed.

But despite the encouragement, Anri refused to look at either friend in the eye, and kept her eyes on the ground. "Still, if I hadn't done that, then...maybe Seta-san and Hanamura-san wouldn't get hurt..."

"You didn't mean for it to happen, Sonohara-san," Mikado responded. "Maybe the Slasher managed to take control of them to attack Seta-san and Hanamura-san."

That got Anri finally looking up. She, along with Masaomi, stared blankly at Mikado, as if he had just said something incredible.

"...Whoa, Mikado, why didn't I think of that?" Masaomi ran his hand through his dyed hair.

The raven-haired boy looked baffled. "E-eh? I just said what came to mind, though. I mean, it's not definitely true, right?"

"Well..." Anri spoke, her voice now slightly raised. "I did lose connection with the group that attacked Seta-san and Hanamura-san... And when I tried contacting them again, nobody responded."

Masaomi nodded. "Yup, that must be it, then." Raising a finger to his chin, the blond hummed thoughtfully. "The Slasher... Whoever this person is, they must have been targeting the Seta-san and Hanamura-san you two have been talking about. So when Anri gave that order, the Slasher took that opportunity to hijack it and tell a group of past Slasher victims to gang up on Seta-san and Hanamura-san."

Mikado frowned. "But...why wait until Sonohara-san gives an order? Can't the Slasher issue one on their own?"

"Hmm, no clue." Masaomi shrugged. "Maybe it's related to what happened last night too."

"Last night..." Anri quietly echoed to herself before she said, "Do you mean the TV?"

Masaomi tossed her a wink. "As expected from my smart and capable Anri~ That's exactly what I-- Eh, wait, you mean you saw it too?!"

"Y-yes," Anri replied, a bit startled at Masaomi's outburst.

The blond turned to face his childhood friend. "Mikado, you saw it too, right?"

The raven nodded, then he spoke, "So you think the Slasher victims not listening to Sonohara-san and our TVs switching on by themselves might be connected to each other?"

"It's just a random guess." Masaomi sighed. "Man...it looks like weird things are starting to happen to this town again..."

"Weird things..." Mikado trailed off.

It was true. Things had become relatively peaceful when the colour gangs became inactive after Masaomi's return last year. Even though the Slasher did make a reappearance some time after that, it wasn't as serious as the case two years back, so generally residents of Ikebukuro all led rather normal lives.

But what shook up that peace first, triggering the subsequent chain of events, had been Yagiri-kun's murder three days ago. Of course, it was nothing compared to the Hollywood killings last year, but the position Seiji's body was found in was weird enough to garner some attention. And then, there was also a rumour going on in town...about Izaya-san and Shizuo-san being the ones who found the body.

What made the whole situation even weirder was the appearance of Seta-san and Hanamura-san. Prior to that day, Mikado had never met Seta-san before, not even during school hours, and then that Seta-san appeared along with another stranger named Hanamura-san, asking about Yagiri-kun's murder. They even mentioned something about rainy days and televisions. It looked and sounded as if they knew what was going--

_'...Eh? Rainy days...and televisions...'_

Were they...referring to what had happened last night? Was that the "strange rumour" Seta-san and Hanamura-san were asking about? After all, hadn't it been raining last night?

_'Could it be...?'_

That Seta-san and Hanamura-san really _did_ know what was going on?

And then there was also the fact that they somehow knew about Harima-san's attack...and how, for some very strange reason, the Slasher victims only stopped listening to Sonohara-san when Seta-san and Hanamura-san were concerned. On top of that, Mikado distinctly remembered Sonohara-san looking... _scared_ after meeting Seta-san and Hanamura-san that day.

It was too suspicious to chalk it all up as just a simple coincidence.

Yagiri-kun's death... Harima-san's amnesia and subsequent assault... Seta-san and Hanamura-san... The Slasher victims... Televisions coming to life on rainy nights...

"--do! Heeey, Mikado! ...Ugh, you leave me no choice. Mikado!"

"U-uwaaaah! Don't scare me like that, Masaomi!"

"You were spacing out again. What was I to do?" the blond replied, shrugging.

"Well, you didn't have to make that weird face at me..." Mikado pouted.

"The usual method didn't work well on you." Masaomi grinned cheekily. "Putting that aside...ehehe~ You were definitely having dirty thoughts about Anri, weren't you?"

Mikado groaned, "Oh, not this again..."

"That's the second time you've spaced out, you know," Masaomi continued. "And I caught you smiling this time, too, so don't bother trying to deny it! Why else would a young, developing man like you be smiling to himself for no reason? Huuuh?"

"Th-that sounds ridiculous," Mikado was quick to reply. He could feel the blood rushing to his face. "A-and look, you're making Sonohara-san all uncomfortable again!"

Anri jumped a little. "Huh? Oh. Um...it's okay, Mikado-kun."

"Ahh, changing the subject, eh?" Masaomi teased, winking at his childhood friend. "That just makes you even more suspicious... So what _were_ you smiling for, if you weren't having dirty thoughts, hm?"

“That’s…”

At Masaomi's question, Mikado fell silent, casting his eyes away.

Thinking back to what was going through his mind before Masaomi interrupted him, all Mikado had been doing was listing down the recent happenings in Ikebukuro that were most likely linked to one another in some way. He didn't realise that he had been smiling at all, for he didn't find anything about the current situation worth smiling about.

Yet Mikado was caught doing just that.

The Third Year felt an odd sense of déjà vu. Like he had been asked a similar question before.

That's right... Wasn’t it just last year when--

 _"Because Senpai..."_ the face of a young boy flashed through his mind, _"Mikado-senpai, aren't you..."_

Sapphire eyes narrowed slightly.

 _"So what_ were _you smiling for, if you weren't having dirty thoughts, hm?"_

Mikado looked up, and saw a grinning Masaomi who was anticipating for an answer. The edges of his lips curled into a tiny ghost of a smile.

...What, indeed?

***

[...And that's what Yosuke-kun said.]

"Hnn..."

Celty stole a glance at her companion. [Um...] she started out hesitantly after erasing the previous message. [Shizuo, did you catch all that?]

The blond blinked, and then put a lit cigarette to his lips. He took in a deep breath, letting the toxic fumes infiltrate his lungs, before releasing it as a puff of smoke. "Well, I got the gist of it, yeah. I guess it sorta explains the weird shit I saw on TV last night." Shizuo turned to face the Dullahan. "You were going a little fast, though."

[Oh, I was? I-I'm sorry, I--]

"Nah, s'ok," the former bartender replied. "You were just..." A sigh. "Sorry... I shouldn't have made you worried."

Celty shook her non-existent head vehemently. [There's no need for you to apologise at all!]

"Yeah?" Shizuo took in another harmful breath from the cigarette.

[I'm your friend, Shizuo. It's only natural that I...] A pause. Then she erased her message and quickly typed out another. [You're not doing anything wrong.]

Shizuo merely hummed in response.

Knowing that the blond would say nothing further, Celty's shoulders slumped a little, before she changed the topic. [Anyway... What will you do? Now that you know someone out there wants to...]

The Dullahan couldn't bring herself to end that sentence.

Shizuo shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. It's not like that's anything new." He gazed at his burning toxic stick blankly. "...And it's not like whatever it is will actually kill me."

...Saddening as it might sound, what Shizuo said was true. She remembered that, back when Shinra was still a student at Raijin Academy, Shinra had often told her about how "Someone went after Shizuo-kun again" or "Looks like Shizuo-kun went off to settle a personal matter with some thugs or something" or even "Guess what, Celty? Shizuo-kun fought back this group of people who wanted to kill him! Singlehandedly!" before he would let out an amused laugh.

But Shinra never failed to end off by saying, _"And you know what's amazing, Celty? Shizuo-kun's perfectly fine. Even after all that. I think...I think nothing can ever get him down and make him_ stay there _, you know?"_

The Celty back then would have only shook her head and brushed it all off nonchalantly, but after getting to know Shizuo personally and even becoming his confidant in a way, the Celty now felt...sympathy. And sadness.

In just a few years, Shizuo got slashed, shot, thrown into jail for crimes he didn't commit, and a whole list of other injustices that society had done to him; he spent his childhood in bandages and hospital beds, and his high school years fighting members of the underground world who wanted to kill him for all the wrong reasons. And now that Shizuo was finally enjoying the ordinary life he deserved to have, somebody just had to appear out of nowhere, murder a high school student, and make Shizuo their next target?

All her dear friend ever wanted was to live in peace, but fate couldn't even grant him that.

True, Shizuo could get knocked down multiple times over and still managed to get up like nothing happened, but Celty believed that Shizuo would rather he didn't have to get knocked down in the first place.

...But now that she thought about it...

Celty knew first-hand that nothing could ever keep Shizuo down for long. That was a fact.

So why was she getting this worried about him?

If a friend of hers was going to be killed, of course the normal response would be to worry about them, but Shizuo was different. There were countless people who had tried, and failed, to kill him, so why was her intuition telling her that this particular time would be an exception?

…The more Celty pondered, the more antsy she got, and the more she was convinced that something was very, very wrong.

[...I have a bad feeling about this, Shizuo.] The Dullahan finally wrote after a long moment of silence. [I think...you may be in a lot of danger.]

Shizuo blinked.

 [I know it sounds a bit strange to you, but that's the feeling I get.] A pause. [This might not be as simple as we think. There's a lot we don't understand about this whole situation. Maybe we should head to Shinra's and ask Yosuke-kun for more details.]

Shizuo seemed to consider this. "...Yeah, it's a good idea, but…I can't just skip work now."

Celty’s shoulders sunk. [Oh...that's right. I caught you in a bad time. Sorry. Um...I'll ask him and then tell you the details later?]

The blond nodded. "Yeah, that's fine with me." Then he brought the cigarette to his lips again.

[Yup, that's settled, then. So I'll go notify Izaya too?]

Shizuo's brow twitched.

Without warning, he crushed the cigarette in his hand, and gave Celty a sideway glance. "...What does the flea have to do with this?"

Celty tilted her helmet to one side confusedly.

_'…Oh, right. I didn't tell him.'_

[Well--]

**_KABOOM!!_ **

An explosion, and the series of screams that followed, interrupted them.

The Dullahan and bodyguard immediately turned in the direction of the uproar, where they saw thick haze slithering out from the entrance leading to the Ikebukuro Metro Line station.

People scrambled about, their cries and shouts of surprise piercing the soot-filled air; flames were beginning to lick the surroundings, and the ground near the entrance was about to crumble.

The electronic device in Celty's hand nearly slipped out of her grip.

_'What... What just...?'_


	13. April 17 2013, Daytime to Evening

**April 17, 2013**

"--Ah, there they are. Heeeey, Yukiko, Kanji-kun, Teddie! Over here!"

"Hm?"

The raven-haired girl perked up at the familiar voice and looked around, catching sight of somebody donned in an unzipped green jacket and a sunny yellow shirt underneath it. A bright smile found its way onto Yukiko's face as she broke into a run towards the other girl. "Oh, Chie!" she exclaimed excitedly, wrapping her arms around her best friend and pulling her into an embrace.

"C'mon, Yukiko, it's only been three days..." Chie said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in Yukiko's sky blue vest.

The pair remained in that position, completely oblivious to the stares they were getting from the other commuters passing by until the voices of Kanji and Teddie interrupted them.

"Aww, that's no fair, I want a hug too!" the blond whined before casting the girls his trademark bear cub eyes. "Pleeease?"

"Uh...I think the answer is no, Teds," Kanji said, looking unimpressed. Then he gave Chie a grin. "Yo, Satonaka-senpai."

Chie waved at him cheerfully. "Haha, hey there, Kan...ji-kun...?" As she got a better look at her Yasogami kouhai, however, the brunette's jaw dropped.

"Huh? What?" Kanji asked, both brows raised. "Wh-what's with that reaction?"

"Y...your hair... It..."

Chie couldn't help but stare.

For instead of a sea of midnight black, there was a bleached patch of hair in the middle of Kanji's head.

And his hair was completely slicked back again, giving him an appearance similar to the one he had back when Chie first met him. Except that now, Kanji was wearing spectacles, and dressed in a simple attire of a solid yellow t-shirt and dark brown pants, with a black windbreaker properly worn over his shirt.

Simply put, it was like looking at a bespectacled version of the Kanji from two years back. With a beige patch on his head.

"Oh, this?" he asked, tugging at a bleached strand. "Well it was all this dumb bear's fault--"

"Hey!"

"--I dunno how, but he managed to get his paws on my hair gel and bleach and gave me this stupid makeover while I was asleep on the train." Kanji rolled his eyes. "And Amagi-senpai... Man, she laughed the rest of the train ride away."

Chie just continued staring.

"...Uh, Satonaka-senpai?"

"...It..." Chie finally spoke, almost snorting. "...It totally fits you! Hahaha!"

"Snrk... I know, right?! Ahaha... Ahahahahaha!" Yukiko joined in, slapping her knee.

Kanji groaned, "Ugh, seriously? You too, Satonaka-senpai?"

Teddie raised his hands in the air and waved them around, his bright blue eyes glistening like polished sapphires. "See? I told you Chie-chan would love it!"

A vein popped in the temple of Kanji's forehead. "Yeah, and you said that you wouldn't touch any of my stuff, too." Then he turned to face his two seniors, one of whom was still busy attracting the attention of passersby with her trademark laughter; the other had stopped, but was biting down on her lower lip to restrain herself. "Amagi-senpai, aren't you, y'know, tired from all that laughing?"

"K-Kanji-kun...and that hairstyle... F-fitting... T-too fitting...!" The manager of the Amagi Inn clutched her stomach. "Snrk... Ahahahahahaha!"

Teddie bounced up and down joyfully. "And you can thank _me_ for that, Yuki-chan!"

Chie gave the blond a thumbs-up. "I gotta hand it to ya, Teddie, you really knew what you were doing."

"Aww shucks, thanks, Chie-chan!"

All Kanji could do was sigh.

"My, I was wondering why the station was a lot livelier than when I left it just a while ago."

The present members of the Investigation Team all turned in the direction of the slightly low-pitched feminine voice that suddenly joined the conversation.

The owner of said voice was a beautiful young woman whose midnight blue hair reached slightly past her shoulders and had its ends in delicate, natural curls that framed her pale features perfectly. Over her plain white blouse that was neatly tucked in and her simple black jeans was a light brown trench coat which ended right above her piano black shoes.

Teddie's eyes sparkled in recognition and amazement, Yukiko immediately stopped laughing and gaped the moment she saw the owner of the voice, and Kanji didn't hesitate to turn his head away and cover the lower half of his face.

"Oh, hey, Naoto-kun!" Chie greeted, completely unfazed. "Where's Rise-chan? I thought you went up to meet her?"

The young woman in the trench coat directed her attention to the cadet trainee. "Kujikawa-san said that she had to settle some urgent scheduling conflicts with her manager first. She'll come over once she's done."

Chie nodded in acknowledgement. Before she could say anything else, however, a quiet and uncertain voice next to her started to speak, "Na...Naoto-kun?"

The detective turned to face the origin of the voice directly. "Ah, it's nice to see you again, Amagi-senpai," she said with a soft smile. "Tatsumi-kun and Teddie-kun, as well. It has been a long time. I see that Tatsumi-kun has changed his hairstyle. It fits you rather well."

Kanji made no response other than a stiff nod.

Yukiko blinked dazedly. "Is... Is it really you, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto, however, didn't seem at all surprised at the reaction, and chuckled. "Yes, it is," she replied smoothly. "I understand that my current...well, appearance may come as a surprise to you, being a rather drastic change from what you are used to seeing. I must admit that even I myself am not quite accustomed to this idea just yet."

The raven-haired girl shook her head. "No, no, I'm just really happy to see that you're able to truly enjoy what you're doing without anything to hide about yourself. I think it's wonderful."

A faint shade of red tinted Naoto's cheeks. "Thank you, Senpai."

"Nao-chan is really pretty~" sang Teddie, who waved his arms in the air again.

"That's...um..." The detective's blush deepened. "W-well, thank you, Teddie-kun."

The blond giggled, then turned to look at the unusually silent adolescent next to him. "Don't you think so too, Kanji?"

Chie and Yukiko gave the bespectacled teen expectant looks while Naoto busied herself with observing the tiling patterns of the floor.

"...Helloooo? Kanji?"

Kanji darted a glare at the blond. "Wh-what, ya dumb bear?" he responded, his voice slightly muffled as he was covering the lower half of his face with both of his hands. Then he gave his two seniors equally frustrated looks. "A-and quit staring at me like that, Senpais!"

"Well, you've been awfully quiet ever since Naoto-kun joined in," Chie said teasingly. "We were just worried about you, you know."

"...Heehee," Yukiko couldn't help but giggle.

Kanji grumbled, "Man, you two are just as bad as Yosuke-senpai..."

Adding Teddie to the mix made it even worse. "So, whatcha hiding beneath your hands, Kanji?"

The Third Year instantly turned away. "N...nothin'!"

"You sure about that?" Chie questioned knowingly, winking.

Kanji felt his face growing warmer by the second. "Seriously, guys! Just let it go already, dammit!"

Naoto finally spoke up, "S...Satonaka-senpai, Amagi-senpai, a-and Teddie-kun, please don't trouble Tatsumi-kun any further..."

Chie smiled reassuringly. "Ah well, if you say so, Kanji-kun, Naoto-kun." Yukiko and Teddie both nodded in concession.

Just as Kanji was about to heave a sigh of relief, however, the timely appearance of someone else dashed his hopes of laying this embarrassing matter to rest.

"Ah! There you all are!"

Everyone turned towards the origin of the high-pitched, bubbly voice and the sounds of heels tapping against the ground rapidly. Before them was the famous teen idol Kujikawa Rise, not looking any different from when they last saw her except for a familiar pair of pink-framed spectacles that she wore like she would a headband, running towards them in pastel pink three-inch high heels as naturally as breathing air.

"Rise-chan!" Teddie exclaimed, stretching his arms in a huge welcoming gesture.

The brunette dashed right into it, circling her arms around Teddie's upper torso. "Ohh Teddie, I missed you~!"

The blond sniffed, as though he were on the brink of crying. "Teddie missed you too! Very, very much!"

After the brief embrace, Rise pulled apart, and then waved at the others merrily. "Hey there, everyone! It's been so long since I last saw you guys I got a little worried that I wouldn't be able to recognise you anymore."

"We weren't separated for _that_ long, Rise-chan," Chie replied, laughing. "It's not like we'd change much, appearance-wise."

"Teehee, except for Naoto-kun, that is~" sang the idol, whose mischievous smile widened as she looked at an embarrassed Naoto and then at Kanji, who was desperately trying to avoid her line of vision. "Oh? Kanji's hair looks kinda different..."

Yukiko sniggered. "Well... Snrk..."

"I'm the one who did it!" Teddie announced chirpily. "Just wanted to see what this 'bleach' and 'gel' thing does. It's nice, isn't it?"

"Ohh, so that's what happened." Rise giggled, while Kanji muttered something about dumb bears beneath his breath. "So Kanji, what do you think about Naoto-kun's new makeover? She's quite the looker now, huh? Not that she wasn't before. Heehee."

Kanji fidgeted, but kept his hands on his face. "...Shuddup."

The idol wouldn't give in that easily. "Ooh, what's this? Have something to hide?" She leaned forward to get a closer look, but the more she did, the more Kanji shifted away from her. "Ahhh, I see. I bet your nose is--"

"Sh-shut it, Rise! Don't we have better things to do than care about my damn nose?!"

"Ta...Tatsumi-kun is right," Naoto quickly agreed. "Although it is not impermissible to engage in idle chatter, please remember that we are here for a reason, and that is to solve the case at hand."

Almost instantly, the entire atmosphere dulled while grave expressions were painted on everyone's features as they nodded. Yukiko was the first to speak, "We need to meet up with Seta-kun and Hanamura-kun, right? Do you know where might be a good place for all of us to gather to discuss the case, Naoto-kun?"

"Unfortunately, I don't quite know the area well enough, so we will have to spend some time looking for a suitable place by ourselves." The detective glanced at the wristwatch on her left hand. "And at this time of the day, Senpai and Hanamura-senpai may be having lessons. It won't be convenient for them to join us right now."

Rise's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh yeah...we never did tell them we'd be coming, right?"

"Don't worry. I informed Seta-senpai about everyone's arrival, after Satonaka-senpai and Kujikawa-san confirmed with me that all of you would be coming," Naoto answered. "I have yet to receive a reply, however, so we may have to wait."

"Wow, thanks, Naoto-kun!" said Chie. Then the police cadet pumped a fist in the air. "Alright then! Since we have to wait for Seta-kun and Hanamura anyway, let's go grab something to eat! I'm staaaarving..."

Suddenly the atmosphere was thick with silence. One could hear the distant footsteps of commuters rushing in and out of the station, or even the mumbled voices of people engaged in conversations as they passed by.

Upon realising that the others were all staring at her, Chie awkwardly lowered her arm. "...What? Is it something I said?"

A snort let out by Yukiko was all that was needed to shatter any remaining remnants of the silence. "Ch-Chie, that's...so like you..."

"Huh? What? I mean it! I'm like, seriously super hungry right now. I think I can even tackle the Rainy Day Meatbowl Challenge. Twice."

"Pffft... Ahahahahahaha! Ahaha...!"

The cadet gave a resigned sigh as she watched her friend cackle hysterically. "There she goes again... She's really laughing over pretty much nothing nowadays, huh?"

Kanji, on the other hand, was smiling. "Well, that's Amagi-senpai for ya."

Naoto chuckled. "How very true."

Chie turned to face the both of them, and beamed. "Haha! Yeah, I guess you're right!"

As she watched the scene unfold before her eyes, the corners of Rise's lips curled into a relieved smile. "You know what, though? I really miss times like this where I can just be like any other ordinary girl and hang out with my friends, so I'm glad to see that some things never change. It wouldn't feel the same otherwise."

"I concur!" Teddie declared, leaping into the air. "And things will get even better when Sensei and Yosuke are here with us!"

The present members of the Investigation Team nodded, and then - after Yukiko recovered from her laughing fit - they moved towards the nearest exit that would lead them to above ground, chatting cheerfully amongst themselves.

Topics like training in the police academy or interesting visitors at the Amagi Inn popped up out of nowhere for them to talk about with vigour and excitement. Even what one would presume as a mundane topic like school life at Yasogami High was something everyone paid close attention to, having missed the school dearly after graduation or leaving Inaba; or simply just life with the Hanamuras and part-time work at Junes.

Just as they were listening to Rise recount her experience of working together with the immensely popular idol Hanejima Yuuhei, however, the brunette abruptly came to a halt.

"...Huh? What's wrong, Rise-chan?"

Without answering Chie's question, Rise looked over her shoulder, and then took a quick glance at their surroundings. Shuddering, she shook her head. "It... It's nothing, Chie-senpai. I must have been imagining things."

Naoto's eyes narrowed slightly, and stole a glimpse around the area they were in. A large crowd of commuters were walking past them, paying attention to anything but a group of teenagers gathered in a train station. Announcements notifying commuters about the train's arrival were being broadcasted, the security guards were at their posts or patrolling the station... Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But Naoto knew better than to underestimate Rise's uncannily sharp instincts.

And there was something about Rise shuddering that...disturbed her, somewhat.

"Might it have been a stalker?" the detective suggested, while at the same time hinting to the others that something was amiss.

As expected, they picked up on the hint, and paid exceptionally close attention to Rise as she replied, "I'm not sure... I mean, I've had plenty of stalkers before, but this..."

Before anyone could respond, the brunette suddenly gasped and hunched over, clutching her chest. "Wha...?! Th-this is..."

"Kujikawa-san?!"

"Rise-chan!"

"O-oi, Rise!"

"What... A-are you okay?!"

"Rise-chan?!"

When she realised that her friends were moving closer towards her out of concern, the idol shook her head vehemently. "N-no, don't--"

Then a burst of warmth enveloped her entire frame; her vision obscured by a blinding pale blue light that erupted from seemingly out of nowhere.

The voices of her teammates escalated in volume, panic and confusion clearly evident. Rise could hear her friends turning to each other for answers, only to be completely stumped before they asked Teddie if he could sense anything. Every whiff the former Shadow took after that sounded so clear it was as if the blond was breathing down her neck. He mentioned something about rusty metal at some point, but Rise was too distracted by the voice in her head humming a familiar tune to pay any closer attention.

The blue light that blinded her slowly dimmed while tiny red dots spotted her vision. They looked scattered at first glance, but as Rise kept her eyes on them, she realised that they were increasing in numbers at a terrifyingly rapid pace. It was like watching cells divide uncontrollably - what used to be small red specks quickly growing into massive clumps of bright crimson.

Wrapping her arms around herself, the brunette remained standing, not willing to give in to her legs which had gone numb from shock. She steeled herself, and continued looking. Analysing.

And that was when she finally found them - the flickering blue spots at the bottom edge of her vision, at a distance away from the sea of red.

But just when she caught sight of them, freckles of scarlet dotted along above them, and spread quickly towards the clearly outnumbered blue spots.

The song in Rise's head escalated in volume.

" _Everyone, look out!_ "

***

It had only been three days since his arrival in Ikebukuro.

And already, too many things were happening all at once, ending the peaceful everyday life he once led before the news of Yagiri Seiji's death was broadcasted.

But the discovery of the body was merely the domino that knocked the others in its row.

Harima Mika's amnesia; the brutal attack that landed her in the hospital; a group of red-eyed strangers intent on ending his and Yosuke's lives; being able to summon their Personas in the real world; the return of the Midnight Channel; the Velvet Room appearing completely different from how he remembered it...

And now...

"I still can't believe-- All those people, I..."

"It ain't your fault, Amagi-senpai."

"Yeah, Yukiko, it's not like you meant for any of that to happen."

Despite the protests, however, the young manager still shook her head, her hands trembling as she avoided the concerned gazes of her friends. "That doesn't change the fact that I--"

"Amagi, listen," Yosuke cut her off. "Everything that happened earlier was just an accident. I-I know, your Persona caused the explosion, and the people who attacked you got caught up in it, so you feel guilty about it. But nobody got hurt, right? I mean, yeah, the station got blown up, but in the end, everyone managed to get out safely. Isn't that what matters most?"

"Yosuke's right," Souji added before Yukiko could even react. "It's okay, Amagi."

"That's..." The raven-haired girl paused to consider their words carefully. "Even though that may be true...because of me, Chie and the others are--"

"What? You mean these little scratches?" the cadet was quick to reply. Then she waved it off cheerfully with a lighthearted laugh. "Oh c'mon, Yukiko, you know this is nothing compared to all the damage I do to myself whenever I practise my kungfu moves. And even then, I could still help you guys kick Shadow butt, right?

"Yeah, what Satonaka-senpai said, Amagi-senpai," Kanji agreed, giving his Amagi-senpai a thumbs-up.

Rise giggled. "Really, Senpai, there's nothing to worry about. It's not like these will scar or anything. They aren't _that_ bad, you know."

"And it's not Yuki-chan's fault at all!" Teddie quickly added.

With a light smile on her face, Naoto nodded. "So please...don't feel bad, Amagi-senpai."

Silently, Yukiko raised her head. The sight of bandages and plasters infiltrated her vision; the stinging smell of antiseptic still lingering in the room. No matter where she looked, the whiteness of the bandages refused to leave her sight.

Without saying another word, Yukiko bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze, directing it to the ground.

"...Yukiko?"

The manager couldn't help but close her eyes shut as she inhaled deeply before finally releasing her breath in the form of a sigh. "Thank you, everyone. I'll be fine, so...”

Souji's eyes softened. "Are you sure?"

Yukiko nodded firmly. "Yes. That's why we're here, after all. We have no more time to waste. So please, Seta-kun."

The leader of the Investigation Team looked over the rest of his teammates, whose eyes were all on him in anticipation. Then, he gave them a brief nod of confirmation, before he turned to face the bespectacled man, who had been listening to the entire conversation in silence with his two companions, and bowed.

"Kishitani-sensei, Celty-san, Heiwajima-san... I can't thank you all enough for helping us."

Shinra’s smile was brimming with enthusiasm. "Oh, no need for thanks, Souji-kun. We can leave it until later. I believe you have something more important to settle right now?" Next to him, Celty's helmet shook in a nodding motion, while Shizuo simply grunted.

Souji stood upright, his expression now grave as he met Shizuo's eyes. "Yes, and it concerns Heiwajima-san, so I think it would be for the best if he listens to our discussion. Is that alright with you, Heiwajima-san?"

Without any warning, Shinra sprang into action. "Of _course_ he'd be happy to stay and listen!"

Shizuo frowned. "Oi, I didn't--"

"After all, this does concern his own life. I doubt even someone like Shizuo-kun would want to take a gamble with that. Right, Shizuo-kun?"

The former bartender growled at the sight of his childhood friend's eyes which were glimmering with hope. "I have work, you--"

"So! Do carry on!"

Shizuo clicked his tongue. "Shinra..."

"Um..." Naoto started hesitantly. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but if it's not convenient for Heiwajima-san to be here right now, then we shouldn't force him to stay. After all, regardless of his presence, we would still be able to hold our discussion and carry out whatever we will decide to do. Isn't that right?"

Before anyone in the team could reply, Shizuo said, "Whoa, hold up. Doesn't that mean that you kids will do whatever the hell you want and I have no say in anything?"

"...That depends. Should you decide to stay and voice your opinion as we move along in our discussion, we may be able to work out some arrangements that suit your needs. Solving the case, however, still takes priority, so if we feel that we need to take certain actions to ensure your safety, then we will have no choice but to do so.

"Furthermore..." Naoto paused, watching Shizuo carefully, "I hope that you are aware that you are not the only target, Heiwajima-san. What we will be discussing concerns Orihara-san as well." The former bartender's expression darkened at the mention of the other man. "But, since time is not on our side, we can only move on with our meeting first and convey our decisions to him at a more suitable time. Therefore, we will have to rely on you to give us your input so that we can carry out our meeting more effectively. Is that acceptable?"

The blond grumbled something under his breath before he said, in a louder voice, "...Fine. If you guys are gonna get in the way of my work or something, I gotta know in advance, after all. And besides..." Shizuo's fingers curled into tight fists as his brows furrowed. "I wanna know what all this has to do with the flea. So…I guess I'll stay and listen."

Shinra's eyes widened slightly while Celty's shoulders stiffened as if in shock as they watched the exchange. Behind their backs, Souji, Yosuke, Kanji and Chie gave Naoto thumbs-ups; Rise giggled and nudged the detective lightly; Yukiko let out a quiet snort, and Teddie swayed about clumsily.

The corners of Naoto's lips curled into a subtle smile of triumph. "Very well. Shall we begin, then?"

"Right," Souji answered, while the other members of the team nodded in acknowledgement. "First of all, we have to sort out the similarities that these two cases have and clarify any doubts concerning the current case. We need everybody on the same page here before we move on."

"Hmm..." Chie put a finger to her chin. "If I remember correctly, basically everything's the same, right? There's the fog and the Midnight Channel... And the bodies were found in a similar manner."

"But there wasn't any Midnight Channel before that Yagiri guy's death, right?" Kanji pointed out. "I mean, if there was, Senpai would've noticed it and told us a long time ago."

"And even if that were the case, Yagiri wouldn't be the one who’d show up on it." Souji's features pulled into a thin frown. "He wasn't mentioned in the news, neither was there any talk about him in particular."

Naoto closed her eyes, appearing to be in deep thought. "However, Yagiri Seiji did die of unknown causes, similar to the victims of the Inaba serial murder case. That is a fact.”

"So that means... Yagiri-san was definitely thrown into the TV and killed by his Shadow, but the Midnight Channel just didn't air, for some reason?" asked Rise.

"But that's not possible," Yukiko said. "After all, if someone is in the TV, the Midnight Channel would definitely come on, right?"

That was a question that nobody had the answer to. The team could only hang their heads low in abrupt silence. Behind them, the Dullahan, bodyguard and underground doctor merely watched on, not knowing how to contribute to the serious discussion.

Until somebody finally broke the silence.

"Maybe this new killer...has been targeting Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san all along."

At Yosuke's suggestion, mild surprise flashed through Shinra's expression, while the shadowy wisp trailing above Celty's neck formed a spherical cloud, escaping as a poof of smoke.

Shizuo's frown deepened. "Yeah? What makes you say that?"

"Well, doesn't it seem strange that the Midnight Channel only appeared _after_ Yagiri's body was found? And it so happened that it was you and Orihara-san who found it? It's like...like the killer deliberately set things up so that it _had_ to be the two of you who found the body so that they can recreate what happened in Inaba. I don't know."

"Ah..." Souji muttered, knowing exactly what his best friend had meant. "That might be so. Which makes keeping a close eye on Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san all the more vital."

"Eh?" Shinra asked, incredulous. “Why is that so?"

Yosuke took the liberty to explain, "For one thing, we don't know who - or _what_ \- we're up against this time. The killer might be able to approach them directly and shove them into a TV without them realising it."

"And since there is a possibility that the killer has been targeting them from the very beginning, they must be trying to use the TV world in order to get rid of them," Souji added, before he looked directly at the blond. "We can't guarantee that we'll be able to rescue you if you were to enter there, so we have to prevent that from happening."

Shizuo considered this for a moment. "Yeah, I get that. What I don't get, though, is why the bastard has to use something like that at all."

"Well, think about it," Chie spoke. "Once somebody is thrown inside the TV, they can't ever get out until they get killed by the Shadows, and then they end up back in our world...dead." The cadet paused, resisting the urge to grimace as she recalled what had happened to Inaba two years back. "And with no wounds and stuff, the police can't identify any possible cause of death."

"Investigations will carry on," Naoto continued from where her senior had left. "But with no leads to work on, the police will have no choice but to close the case. In other words, it's quite possibly the cleanest way to carry out a murder.”

"And all the killer has to do...is push the victim into a TV," Yukiko ended on an eerie note.

Shinra hummed thoughtfully at this, but otherwise remained silent. While part of him was becoming thrilled at the prospects of looking more into this new supernatural finding, there was also a strange...feeling, of sorts, that was masking the excitement bubbling within him.

Cocoa eyes briefly wandered over to the blond ex-bartender staring at the ground, seemingly deep in thought, and softened considerably.

"...If there aren't any further enquiries, we should carry on," prompted Naoto, unknowingly redirecting Shinra's attention back to the discussion. "Senpai, what do you propose we do with regards to protecting the next two possible victims?"

The leader of the Investigation Team folded his arms. "Before we go into that, we need to find an entrance. Although we're trying to prevent it from happening, we should be prepared for the scenario where we'll need to travel to the TV world."

"Oh, that's...right..." Yukiko murmured. "That's not going to be easy to find..."

"Yeah," Teddie voiced his agreement, finally speaking up after remaining silent throughout the entire discussion thus far. He hadn't been much of a strategic bear, after all, so he left those decisions for his Sensei and the others to make, but when it came to the Shadow World, he was the expert. "We can't use just any TV we find. It might not lead us to a safe place."

"Well, we can still try, of course," encouraged Rise. "Teddie and I can just pop in and do a quick scan around to see if things are okay. If they are, then we'd have found a good place. If not, we can just keep looking."

Souji nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea. Though... Rise, won't you be busy with your work for the next few days?"

The idol beamed. "Not really. Since I'm finally done with my recordings, my schedule's pretty flexible right now."

"That's good to hear," Souji replied, smiling himself. "Alright. So, we'll have Teddie and Rise going together as a pair to search for suitable entrances. That's six of us remaining. We can split into two groups of three, one to each possible target. How does that sound?"

"Oh! Good thinking, partner!" Yosuke commented with a wink. The others, too, voiced out their agreements.

"Okay then, how shall we split the groups?"

"...Senpai, if I may," Naoto spoke before anyone else could. "I would like to request to join the group that is responsible for Orihara Izaya-san's safety."

Shizuo was the first out of everyone to whip his head towards the detective. His hands instinctively tried to reach for something he could snap, which happened to be the shoulder rest of the sofa. "What the hell? You’re actually _volunteering_?"

Realising that all eyes were on her, the detective fidgeted slightly, and then bowed her head, almost as if she were ashamed. "Well, it's... To tell the truth, it's for another case I've been following. I have reasons to believe that Orihara-san is involved in that case, and so I want to take this opportunity to question his involvement. I apologise for making such a selfish request..."

"It's perfectly fine, Naoto," Souji assured.

Keeping his eyes on the detective, Kanji made no comment.

"…Oh. Uh. Well. When you put it that way..." Shizuo released his hold on the shoulder rest. "But if you find out that he’s involved, just make sure you nab the flea and give him the punishment he deserves. Ten times over. No, make that hundred times over...a thousand times over... Hell, make it infinite times over... Kill kill kill..."

The members of the Investigation Team simply stared at the man in awkward silence.

"...Anyway, for the groupings," Souji quickly brought everyone else back to the topic. "The only confirmed placing is Naoto. Does anybody else want to volunteer or--"

"Uh, Senpai," Kanji interrupted, "I-I wanna be one of the people lookin' after Orihara-san, too."

Now everyone was directing their attention to Kanji instead. Even Naoto seemed surprised.

"Ooh~ what's this? Kanji's actually taking the initiative now?" Rise sang teasingly.

"Wh--hey, shut it! It ain't like that!" the bespectacled teen protested. "It's just... I... Naoto..." He shook his head. "Argh, whatever! Can we just get with the programme already?!"

Naoto looked utterly perplexed.

"If you say so," Souji responded with a teasing smile of his own. "That makes it Kanji and Naoto in charge of Orihara-san, then. Anyone else? Otherwise, I will make the final decision." He met with conceding silence. "Alright then. So... We’ll have Amagi, Kanji and Naoto in one group. Yosuke and Satonaka are with me. Any objections?"

His teammates shook their heads. Souji nodded firmly in response. "That settles it, then. Naoto, I'm counting on your group to convey all the necessary details to Orihara-san and make the arrangements with him. Yosuke, Satonaka, as per Heiwajima-san's concerns, we'll keep a distance and try not to interfere in his work as far as possible."

"...Thanks," Shizuo said a little sheepishly. The whole thing was, honestly, still very strange and frustrating to him, but it wouldn't get too bad, he supposed.

The teenagers tasked with protecting the fortissimo of Ikebukuro flashed him reassuring smiles.

"Anything else to discuss about now, partner?" Yosuke prompted.

"Well..." he glanced over the others. "Aside from Yosuke, Naoto and maybe Rise...I'd very much like to have a word with the rest of you about leaving your commitments to come over here." They winced at that. Souji sighed. "But...I guess whatever I say won't be of much use now, seeing as you're all here anyway. So I'll leave this discussion for another time."

The members of the team all heaved a sigh of relief simultaneously.

"Alrighty then!" Teddie said, leaping up from his seat. "Rise-chan and I will go look for an entrance right away!"

"In that case," Shinra invited himself to the discussion, "maybe you can try our living room TV first."

"...Eh?" The team glanced at the aforementioned electronic resting on top of a tiny table. "Is that really okay with you?"

"Oh, by all means, please do!"

"Well...alright. Thank you, Kishitani-sensei," Souji said, bowing. The rest of the team did the same, and then everyone got up to gather around the television set, Shinra, Shizuo and Celty included.  The silver-haired adolescent turned to face the teen idol and the blond bear. "Rise, Teddie, we're counting on you."

Rise gave him a confident smile. "No problem, Senpai!"

"We'll do a bear-rific job!" Teddie exclaimed.

And with that, the brunette was the first to reach out and place her long, thin fingers on the cool surface of the screen, which rippled at the touch. Giving her companion a nod, Rise inched closer towards the screen, before allowing herself to immerse her body completely into the ripples with Teddie following closely behind.

Leaving a wide-eyed Shizuo, a frozen Celty, and an excited Shinra - who was squealing and cooing like a child - in their wake. With the rest of the Investigation Team members trying to calm them down as quickly as they could.

***

**CHATROOM**

_No one is in the chatroom now._

_No one is in the chatroom now._

_Kanra-san has joined the chat._

_Kanra_  
Kya-ho~!

 _Kanra_  
Kanra-chan hereeeeee! ☆

 _Kanra_  
...Ehhh? Where's everybody? Not free to chat tonight?

 _Kanra_  
That's so strange~

 _Kanra_  
...Well, everyone here is living in lovely, vibrant Ikebukuro, after all. I'm sure they must be leading very busy lives.

 _Kanra_  
In that case, I should get busy as well~

 _Kanra_  
Well then!

 _Kanra_  
Bye bye-bii~!

_Kanra-san has left the chat._

_No one is in the chatroom now._

_No one is in the chatroom now._

... ...


	14. April 18, 2013

**April 18, 2013**

It was a cool and crisp Thursday morning in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo when a young woman from a line of well-known detectives, along with the manager of a famous traditional inn in a backwater town, was seen together with the son of a textiles shop owner.

The rain from the night before continued into this very morning. Not too heavily, but enough to constitute the need for an umbrella, which Naoto made sure to bring along when she left her temporary residence in Ikebukuro together with her senpai. Thereafter, they took the train to Shinjuku where Kanji was waiting with an umbrella of his own.

"Yo," he greeted. "Looks like you guys got here safely."

Naoto gave him a brisk nod. "And you, as well... That's a relief."

At that statement, the bespectacled adolescent flushed, and quickly turned his head away, folding his arms. Yukiko giggled quietly.

After the incident at the train station yesterday, the team decided that travelling in a large group would draw too much unnecessary attention to themselves and attract potential attackers again, so Souji suggested that they should all travel in pairs, at most, while they were in Ikebukuro to be safe. It appeared that gathering in an open space was the main trigger, though; when they were in Shinra's house, for instance, they hadn't been on the receiving end of any unexpected acts of violence at all. That observation made the arrangements for their temporary accommodation much easier. Kanji and Teddie would move in with Souji and Yosuke, while the girls would stay with Naoto.

Just as they had planned for that morning, Teddie continued his search for suitable entrances to the TV world while Rise went to settle her work first; Chie would be responsible for staking out a certain debt collector and Souji and Yosuke would join her after their morning lectures; while Yukiko, Kanji and Naoto were tasked to pay an informant a visit and keep a close eye on him. Finding the address of an information broker as infamous as Orihara Izaya, however, would prove to be no easy task, but thankfully his loyal courier was more than happy to give it to them.

And so here they were now, standing before the entrance of a massive skyscraper in Shinjuku where that notorious information broker lived.

"By the way, Kanji-kun..." Yukiko started as the trio entered the lift lobby. "Did you see it? The Midnight Channel... It came on last night."

"Sure did," came Kanji's swift reply as he recalled the appearance of what used to be Inaba's urban legend.

It had started drizzling after the team broke into pairs and left Kishitani-sensei's apartment, once Rise and Teddie were done scanning the area that Kishitani-sensei's television led to. When the rain didn't let up - and even became heavier - as time passed, Souji-senpai told everyone to keep their eyes  
peeled for the Midnight Channel. Eventually it really did show up, just as Souji-senpai said it would.

It was a very fuzzy image; the static totally warped the shapes of the two people that appeared on the programme, melding them into one distorted mass of black. Yosuke-senpai had mentioned that there was something about that image which looked _really_ wrong, but when Souji-senpai asked him he just dismissed it as nothing important.

That aside, though... Seeing the Midnight Channel again was quite a surreal experience, after a two-year break from it. And in a way, it was comforting to see that blurred image last night. At least it meant that they still had some time left.

"Hmm..." Naoto's contemplative voice dragged Kanji back to the present, where the detective was scrutinising what appeared to be a card of sorts in her hands with Yukiko looking over her shoulder.

Confusedly, the Yasogami Third Year walked over. "Hunh? What is it?"

"This is an employee card," Naoto answered without looking up. "I heard that Orihara-san hired a secretary two years ago. This must belong to the secretary, then." She flipped the card over. "The last record dates back to the fourteenth of April..."

"Isn't that the day Yagiri-san's body was discovered?" Yukiko asked, her eyes widening slightly at the realisation.

"That's right.”

Kanji frowned. "Think they might be related?"

"Perhaps." The detective placed the card back in its respective holder. "This is something we can take note of, for now. We came here to talk to Orihara-san. I believe we should settle that first."

When she saw her companions nod, Naoto turned back to face the door. She wasted no time in ringing the bell, the tune of which sounded like the popular children's TV show Neo Featherman R's theme song. It went on a loop twice before dying away, and a moment after that, the door opened.

A young man, looking in his twenties, wearing a plain, black v-neck shirt and fitting pants stood in the doorway. He had raven black hair, just like most Japanese did, and was of a rather average build. All in all, the man didn't have anything extraordinary to speak of, in terms of his appearance, with the exception of his outstanding garnet eyes which glinted like the rings on his index fingers at the sight of his guests.

"Well, well." A smirk crept its way onto the young man's face. "To what do I owe this visit from a well-known detective such as yourself, my dear Naoto-chan?"

"Nao--?!" Kanji's jaw immediately dropped at the affectionate designation.

"...Orihara-san," Naoto deadpanned, seemingly unaware of the stares she was getting from her teammates. "I hope that you are not occupied with your work at the moment."

The man, Orihara Izaya, gazed at her intently, and then nodded to himself. "It looks like you have a pressing matter to discuss with me. Well, do come in and have a seat."

"Thank you," the detective replied, stepping into the spacey apartment, followed by a slightly curious Yukiko and an oddly irritated Kanji.

While the informant had his back turned to them as he led the way in, Yukiko lightly nudged her kouhai. Silently, she glanced at him, then turned to look at Naoto, who was walking in front of them. Kanji, taking the hint, directed his attention to the detective, and was slightly surprised to find her holding up her cell phone behind her back.

The screen read: 'Please leave the talking to me.'

Before Kanji could react, Naoto quietly but swiftly flipped the phone shut and hid it in the back pocket of her jeans. "Orihara-san seems to have some work to complete," she commented, casually stealing a glance at the piles of paper on the information broker's desk. "If it's not convenient for us to be here..."

"Oh it's nothing at all. Don't mind it," Izaya replied smoothly, leading his guests to the sofa. As they took a seat and thanked him, he went to prepare three cups of tea, and then set them down in front of the group.

Naoto picked her cup up and briefly blew onto the drink before taking a silent sip. "I was unaware that Orihara-san can make such aromatic tea," she said monotonously. "Or perhaps, it was made by your secretary...?"

"Unfortunately, she's not around today," the informant answered, wearing a gleeful smile. "She has to settle a family problem, you see, so I gave her a few days off."

"How kind of you to do that," the detective replied, her voice carrying little to no trace of emotion whatsoever.

Izaya gave an amused laugh. "What a cold attitude, Naoto-chan~ Can't you at least pretend to be glad to see me? It's been a long two years since we last met, after all."

Upon hearing this, Yukiko and Kanji instantly darted surprised looks at their friend, who simply continued enjoying her tea without confirming or denying the informant's claim.

"And my, how you've grown in those two years!" Izaya continued, completely unfazed by the lack of reaction from the young detective. "Why, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought I'm speaking to your twin sister!"

Kanji's brow twitched. Yukiko frowned.

"So, how has life been for you? Do your superiors still look down on you? Even more so now that everyone knows who you really are?" Izaya shook his head in false sympathy. "I can't imagine how stifling it must be for you, Naoto-chan, to work in such a male-oriented profession."

Kanji clenched his fists. "Hey--!"

"I have to say, though, I certainly didn't expect you to reveal your little secret in the end. And at a press conference, at that. That really took me by surprise, you know." A chuckle escaped Izaya's lips. "Ahh, humans are indeed so fascinating!"

In contrast to the strange looks her comrades were giving the informant, Naoto calmly placed the cup down, appearing as if she were used to such words. "Orihara-san," she said, "while I am flattered by your comments, I would appreciate it if you could leave this until we've done what we came to do. We did not come here simply to engage you in a friendly conversation, after all."

Humming thoughtfully, the raven returned to his swivel chair. He rested his left elbow on the desk, and then his chin against the back of his left palm. "...And? You said you're here to do something? What is this 'something', then, if I may enquire?"

"...In that case, I shall go straight to the point," Naoto replied, turning to face Izaya, navy meeting auburn. "Orihara-san...your life is in danger."

"Ohh?" the informant said, his eyes gleaming. He leaned forward, keeping his gaze on the detective. "How interesting... Do tell me more."

***

During a usual Thursday afternoon in Ikebukuro, where the rain had been reduced to a mere drizzle, Tanaka Tom shook his head with a hand covering his face for the most unusual reason.

"That's the fifth one today... And it isn't even lunch time yet."

"...Sorry, Tom-san," Shizuo said meekly.

"No, no, it's alright. It's just..." The dreadlocked man trailed off, removing his hand to watch a hazelnut brown-haired girl in a green jacket and dark blue shorts chasing after a debtor down the street, demanding the poor, haggard man to "pay up, or else feel pain beyond belief".

Tom could only sigh in response.

Noticing his senpai's disappointment, the blond clicked his tongue and did not hesitate to toss the chestnut brown-haired boy hiding behind a nearby lamppost a glare. 'The hell aren't you doing anything to stop her?' Shizuo mouthed to the teen.

Yosuke squinted before he mouthed back, 'Are you insane? If I go over there, Satonaka'll send me flying.' He flapped his arms as if to add to that effect.

"...Coward," the former bartender muttered under his breath, clearly not impressed at the teen in the least.

"Hm? You say something, Shizuo?"

"Ah, um...nothing, Tom-san.”

From seemingly out of nowhere, Vorona decided to step in, her emotionless sky blue eyes staring after the younger girl who had just knocked the debtor down to the ground. "Shall I eliminate her for you, Senpai?"

"Don't," Shizuo replied.

The young assassin tilted her head to the side slightly. "But she has been troubling Shizuo-senpai and Tanaka-senpai all this while. A nuisance like her is to be eliminated. Is that not the case?"

"Well, 'eliminate' is too strong a word..." said Tom. "And look at it this way. The people she's chased so far end up clearing their debts, so it's not all bad. Although her method is a little bit..." he paused just in time to witness Chie rolling up her sleeves while yelling at the struggling debtor, "...unorthodox, so to speak."

The Russian considered his words carefully before she nodded in an almost robotic fashion. "Understood. 'Eliminate', inappropriate. A more suitable term would be 'reform' her method, make it less unorthodox. Yes?"

"Uh, yeah, you got it." Tom raised a brow. "I guess?"

Vorona gave another nod. "I see. So I shall take it upon myself to thoroughly discipline her into using a method that will not trouble Senpai."

Blanching at his female bodyguard's suggestion, Tom looked over to Shizuo in a pleading gesture. Having a fresh high school graduate suddenly show up, tackle the escaping debtors and scare them into paying up was enough; the dreadlocked man certainly didn't want to see Vorona's idea of "disciplining" others on top of that.

Noticing his senior's mental call for help, Shizuo sighed quietly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh... I don't think you should do that, Vorona."

The blonde looked confused again. "Is this not the situation where the superior requires to mete out punishment for unruly behaviour?"

"Not really... It's, uh...an exception this time."

"Exception?" Vorona echoed curiously. "It is possible to apply that concept even when one clearly deserves to be disciplined?"

"Well, in this case, yeah. Like Tom-san said, she _does_ get the money back in the end." Shizuo shrugged. "I mean, yeah, she gets in the way of our work, but it's not like she means anything bad about it."

The Russian hummed thoughtfully. "Is that so..."

"Heeeey!" a cheerful voice cut in. The group of debt collectors turned, and saw the brunette running towards them with a thick stack of bills in her hand. Behind her, the haggard debtor was scampering for the nearest hiding place he could find. "Sorry to keep you waiting! It took a while, but here," said Chie as she handed Tom the money.

The dreadlocked man accepted it with a sincere "Thank you" before routinely flipping through the notes. "You know, you, uh..." he started off awkwardly as he counted the money. "We really appreciate your help, but you don't have to chase those guys like that. We're pretty used to having people who don't pay up."

"Huh?" Chie replied. "But they should return what they borrowed, shouldn't they? And haven't they been shirking that off for a long time now? So all the more they oughtta pay back, right?"

"Negative," Vorona responded. "You may be correct, but you must also know when to apply the concept of exceptions."

Tom and Shizuo promptly turned to face the Russian, seeming rather impressed.

Chie frowned slightly. "Well, if the guy's tight on cash flow, then I understand, but those guys we saw today all have enough money on hand to pay off their debts. They've been trying to avoid paying up! Isn't that just wrong? Since they promised to pay up, they should hold onto that promise! It's only fair, after all!"

Vorona placed a finger on her chin, contemplating as she stared at the brunette.

"Yo, Satonaka," Yosuke, who was walking over, interrupted. It caused Tom and his bodyguards to redirect their attention to him instead, with Vorona watching him warily.

"Hey, what're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be keeping a lookout from a distance?" Chie glanced at their surroundings. "And where's Seta-kun? I thought he was together with you?"

"Yeah, about that..." The brunet showed his friend the screen of his smartphone. "After he talked to Vorona-san, I realised Souji was gone, and then I got this weird text from him about some important matter he wanted to tell me in person. I'm a little worried, so I'll be heading off to find him, but...will you be okay by yourself?"

"What, me?" Chie could feel the blood rising to her cheeks and mentally fought back a light blush. "Oh c'mon, I-I'm not _that_ pathetic. I can take care of myself and keep a close eye on Heiwajima-san at the same time, no problem! And it's not like you'd be away for long, so go on ahead!"

Yosuke gave her a smile of relief. "Great! I'll see you later, then!" When he sped off and made sure he was at a safe distance away, he added, "And don't give them any more trouble!"

The cadet's expression immediately soured at that. "What?! Who's giving anyone trouble now?!"

Tom quickly tried to calm her down. "Um...it's okay, you're not--"

"Saying that I'm troubling people when I'm helping them? Ugh, honestly! Who does he think he is?! I don't see _him_ offering to help out!" Chie got into a fighting stance. "That's does it! I am so beating Hanamura up the next time I see him!"

The dreadlocked man nearly sighed in exasperation.

Shizuo, who had been watching the exchange unfold before him, simply stole a glance at his watch and then pocketed the little device. "Hey, isn't it lunchtime now?" he casually pointed out.

Tom and Vorona stared at him quizzically while Chie whipped her head towards him. "It is?!" the brunette gasped in excitement. "Awesome! Can we go eat now? Can we? Can we?!"

Realisation dawned upon Tom. "Oh, uh...sure, why not? It's been a tiring morning, after all."

"Alright!" Chie exclaimed. "Hey, is there a good place for steak around here? I've been dying for some steak since like, forever!"

"Affirmative," Vorona replied as the group made their way towards a nearby lunch place. "Outback Steakhouse has a branch in Ikebukuro, among their many branches in Roppongi, Shibuya, and other parts of Japan."

Chie came close to drooling. "Ooooh, that sounds good~"

"...However, it is only open from 5pm to midnight on weekdays."

"...Ehhhhhhh?"

***

When Yosuke arrived at the meeting place provided by Souji, he found his partner conversing with a group of strangers near an ordinary-looking van which was parked by the pavement.

Souji was talking to a man who was taller than he and wore simply - a long-sleeved shirt and pants - along with a beanie. Standing behind this tall man was a blond, dressed in a plain hoodie and jeans, as well as a young brunette donned in a black cap and one-piece dress. They, along with a light brown-haired man who was leaning against the van, were simply watching Souji exchange words with who Yosuke assumed to be their leader in silence.

Uncertain if it was appropriate for him to interrupt, Yosuke waited at the opposite pavement. It wasn't long, however, before Souji noticed his presence and called out to him.

"Oh? Is this the friend you've been talking about? The one who moved in with you?"

"Ah...yes," Souji replied the older man while Yosuke hesitantly made his way over, oblivious to the way the woman's eyes suddenly twinkled for no apparent reason. "Yosuke," he said, turning to face his friend, "this is Kadota-san. He attended the same high school as Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san, so I thought we might be able to find out more about them if we talked to him."

The man whom Souji referred to as Kadota-san frowned a little. "Well, it's not like I know them that well... You'd have better luck with Kishitani, but you guys have already asked him, huh?"

Yosuke froze. "We...didn't exactly ask him about Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san specifically... The thought didn't cross my mind," he admitted. "Um, it's nice to meet you, Kadota-san. I'm Hanamura Yosuke."

"Nice to meet you too," Kadota replied, smiling. "So you're Hanamura. We heard all about you from Seta here."

"H-huh? Really?" Yosuke turned to look at his best friend, who casted him a rather sheepish expression.

"Kyaaah!" the lady clad in black suddenly squealed. "I can't take it anymore! Ne, ne, Sou-chan, could it be that you and Yoyo are…ufufu… _toget_ \--mmf?!"

"K-Karisawa-san, you can't just ask him such a personal question like that!" pleaded the blond, who had used his hands to cover the brunette's mouth.

Resisting the urge to sigh, Kadota rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "Sorry about that," he said to the adolescents, who shook their heads and told him that it was fine. "Ah...right. Hanamura," the man continued, addressing the brunet before indicating to the pair standing behind him. "This is Karisawa Erika, and this is Yumasaki Walker." Then he indicated to the other man who was nearest to the parked vehicle and waving at them. "And that's Togusa Saburou."

"Uh, hi there," Yosuke greeted with a wave of his own. "So...are you all friends that Souji made when he moved here?"

"Hmm, well, not exactly. The four of us frequent Russia Sushi, you see. We heard about Seta here from Simon and sometimes we’d bump into him there, too," Kadota replied. "Oh, right, you said you wanted to ask me something?"

"That's right," Souji said with a nod. "Kadota-san, we're hoping we can learn more about Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san from you, so we'll need to ask you some questions. Is that alright with you?"

Kadota gave a light shrug. "Not sure if I'd be of much help, but alright."

"Thank you very much," Souji replied with a bow; Yosuke mirrored his actions. "Well, firstly... Have you heard of any rumours concerning them recently?"

"Rumours, you say." The man folded his arms, his frown deepening. "I did hear of something, but it's not exactly... How do I put it..."

"Is it about them finding Yagiri's body?"

Kadota stared at Souji with both brows raised. Walker and Togusa did the same, though they appeared more surprised than Kadota was. Erika, too, seemed to have calmed down and was paying full attention to the conversation at hand, causing Walker to release his grip on her.

"...So you've heard about that," Kadota commented with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "Man, word sure spreads fast..."

"Where did you hear the rumour from?" Souji continued to question.

"Are you seriously asking that? What alternate universe are you living in, Souji-kun?" Walker spoke jokingly, fishing out his clamshell phone and flipping it open, its screen revealing an image of an online discussion forum. "Practically everyone's talking about it on the Internet, you know. The four of us are members of this particular forum, so we know all about the recent happenings in Ikebukuro through it."

"Oh right... This is the city we're talking about," Yosuke pointed out, mostly to his leader. "It's not like Inaba where people gossip openly."

"But the problem is who exactly originated the rumour." Souji's reply came in the form of a cautious whisper. "Naoto said that the police had already requested the media not to spread the news, and the students of Raira Academy wouldn't dare to lest they get into trouble... If we can find out who spread the rumour first, we might be able to identify the killer."

The brunet gave it some thought before he nodded subtly. "Yeah... You're right," he whispered back.

Watching this, Kadota's brows creased, but he made no move to ask the two teenagers about what they were hiding from him. If they weren’t comfortable with sharing it with him, then he should leave them be, he decided.

"Uh..." Yosuke continued from where he and Souji had left off. "We were also wondering if any of you saw some kind of...strange thing appearing on your TV screens at night. Particularly during the past two days."

Before Kadota could even think of a reply, Erika leapt in front of him with a high-pitched squeal, her eyes sparkling brightly with excitement. "Oh my _gosh_ ," her voice rose an octave and then it lowered back down, "are you talking about the official ShizuIza video clip that was released yesterday?!"

"......Huh?"

Kadota and Togusa both shook their heads and sighed while Walker hurriedly made his way over and tried to pull an ecstatic Erika aside. "I-I'm really sorry, Karisawa-san is--"

"Did you see? Did you _see_?!" the fujoshi exclaimed, shoving her fellow otaku away harshly. Crimson tinted her cheeks as she recalled the misty image that was shown on-screen the night before. "How they stripped themselves before the eyes of millions? The way their naked bodies moved and snaked around each other in bed? Melding into one entirety like two jigsaw puzzles coming together?! Kyaaaaah~!!!"

Yosuke blanched. "Y...you c-can't possibly be serious......"

"Of _course_ I am!" Erika continued, despite Walker's efforts to seal her lips shut. "It was obviously Shizu-Shizu and Iza-Iza shown on TV last night! Declaring their undying love for each other!! How could you not tell?!"

Souji blinked. "Was that what it was all about? I thought it was just the image being blur, but--"

"Dude," Yosuke was quick to answer, growing paler by the second, "don't ask."

While Souji was undeniably confused by it all, he took a mindful note of his friend's reaction and made sure not to ask any further about the matter for the rest of the time they were there with Kadota-san and the others. Much to Yosuke's - as well as Kadota, Walker and Togusa's - relief.

***

"...She's been in there for a long time, hasn't she? Naoto-kun, I mean."

At Yukiko's question, which shattered the silence that had enveloped them, Kanji raised his head and turned to face the door, and then he looked away solemnly. "...Yeah, she has."

Ever since Naoto showed them that message on her phone this morning, she had been acting rather strange while explaining to Orihara-san about the situation with the murder case. And when the informant spoke to her it sounded like he was on close terms with her, but in a way that really did not sit well with Kanji, and possibly Amagi-senpai as well.

Once all the explanations were done, Orihara-san even requested for Naoto to remain in the apartment, which Kanji didn't hesitate to oppose, but Naoto unexpectedly agreed to it. So while Yukiko and Kanji had been standing outside and keeping a lookout, Naoto had been in the informant's apartment all day long. It made Kanji extremely antsy, and he sent the detective countless text messages to make sure she was alright, but he didn't receive a single reply, which only served to add to his anxiety.

Kanji sighed. "Shouldn't we go in there...?" He suggested, worry and frustration evident in his tone.

The raven-haired manager fidgeted. "But Naoto-kun said she wanted to take this opportunity to ask about Orihara-san's involvement in another case... I'm not sure if--"

At that moment, the door creaked open. Stepping out from the apartment was a lethargic-looking Naoto, who heaved an exhausted sigh as she closed the door behind her and joined her teammates. "I must apologise to Amagi-senpai and Tatsumi-kun... You must have been standing here for so long..."

Yukiko shook her head. "Oh, it's okay, Naoto-kun. Please, don't apologise."

"Y-yeah, Naoto, we understand," Kanji agreed.

The detective's features pulled into a faint frown as she reached into the right pocket of her trench coat to remove her cell phone. "But... Tatsumi-kun was texting me all this time and I didn't..."

"O-oh, that?" The bespectacled teen scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed and awkward fashion. "I-it was nothin'. Really!" he added when he noticed the look of doubt that instantaneously flashed through Naoto's features. "Just... Just treat it like I had nothin' to do and felt like spammin' you, okay?"

Naoto kept her apologetic, yet inquisitive, gaze on him before she conceded and kept her phone. "Still, it was terribly rude and unbecoming of me to have you stand outside like this..."

"Um, if you don't mind telling us, Naoto-kun..." said Yukiko. "Why did it take you so long? I-I mean, we didn't mind standing out here at all, it's just...you were in there since morning. Did...did something happen?"

There was a brief moment of silence until Naoto broke it. "...No," she answered coldly. Kanji flinched at that. "No, nothing happened at all, Senpai. I simply took longer questioning a suspect than I had initially expected. Normally, such interrogation can be completed in just a matter of minutes, but Orihara-san is...unlike most suspects who try to escape conviction."

"A suspect trying to escape conviction... So Orihara-san was...?"

"Unfortunately, there's no concrete evidence to prove that he was truly involved. And interrogating him proved to be of little use, I'm afraid. I had thought that if the interrogation was prolonged, he would accidentally let slip of some crucial information... But perhaps I had underestimated him."

Yukiko nodded in understanding. "I see… So that's why..."

Kanji, however, didn't seem entirely convinced. "There's something else I don't get, though. Didn't Orihara-san say that the last time he saw you was two years ago? I mean, was that a lie or somethin'? 'Cuz you were in Inaba investigating the case back then, weren't you?"

"...Ahh," Naoto muttered. "Yes, I don't believe I've ever told the rest of you. Actually...prior to my arrival in Inaba, there was a short period of time where I lent my assistance to the local police here in Ikebukuro in investigating a particular case. There was an unusual rise in the number of residents who tried to commit suicide. The police subsequently discovered that these residents belonged to a few suicide groups that were being formed online, and these groups all came under the same administrator, who went by the alias 'Nakura'.

"The police exhausted all means and ways to track 'Nakura' down, but 'Nakura' never failed to evade them. After a few months with no leads to work on, they decided to ask my grandfather to help, but since Grampa was busy with another case, he passed it to me." A pause. "Unfortunately, even with my assistance, we were unable to apprehend 'Nakura', and eventually, the case was declared unsolved. I was...adamant, and decided to carry out the investigation by myself. And after some time, I finally managed to track 'Nakura' down." She lowered her gaze. "But...'Nakura' still managed to escape before I could even see their face. It was...disheartening, to say the least.

"It was around this time when I received news about the serial murder case in Inaba. I was reluctant to accept it, but then...well." Naoto gave a soft, nostalgic smile. "Of course, I never did give up on that 'Nakura' case, and continued looking into it when time permitted. And then a few days ago, I finally found a lead...when I read the file on Orihara Izaya-san."

"Ohh...so you suspected that Orihara-san is actually 'Nakura' after that?"

Naoto confirmed Yukiko’s question with a nod.

"And when he said that he saw you two years ago... He was actually talking about that time when you nearly caught him?" asked Kanji.

"It would seem so," Naoto replied. "In fact, I wasn't even convinced myself if he was truly the 'Nakura' I had been pursuing all this while, but when Orihara-san mentioned that he had once met me...I became certain that he is the one." Then, she shook her head. "This is all simply a conjecture, however... Like I mentioned, there's no evidence to prove that he is indeed 'Nakura'. But that is not our main priority at the moment."

Kanji considered this before he nodded. "Yeah, you're right. We should be focusin' on the case we have right now."

"Agreed," said Yukiko. Then she gave Naoto a warm smile. "But regardless, thank you for sharing, Naoto-kun."

The detective smiled back. "No...I should be thanking you and Tatsumi-kun for listening."

"So...how's Orihara-san now?"

"Quite possibly asleep in his room. Before I could ask any further, he pointed out that it was late and that he wanted to get some rest...so I obliged." Naoto resisted the urge to sigh. "Well...how about you and Tatsumi-kun, Amagi-senpai? Did anyone suspicious come looking for Orihara-san?"

"None at all. Things were pretty quiet out here."

"I see... That's a relief." Naoto checked her wristwatch. "It's already midnight... I'm so sorry for making you wait this long... Um, shall we head back?"

While Yukiko nodded, Kanji hummed thoughtfully and folded his arms. "Midnight, huh? So I guess the Midnight Channel is being aired right now. I mean, since it’s still raining.”

"...That's a very good point, Tatsumi-kun," Naoto commented with a smile that made Kanji flush. "I think we should give Senpai a call to ascertain if--"

**_Pipipipi! Pipipipi! ... Pipi--_ **

"Ah, hello? Chie?" Yukiko answered her cell, beaming and cheerful upon receiving her best friend's call. "What is it?"

Kanji and Naoto watched quietly as their senpai spoke, until Yukiko's face fell into a grave expression. "Eh...?" she murmured, her voice barely above a shaky whisper. As she slowly grew silent, a loud voice that clearly belonged to Rise could be heard coming from her cell phone.

Kanji's eyes widened. "Amagi-senpai, don't tell me...!"

At the same time, Naoto drew in a sharp breath, mentally preparing herself for her senpai to confirm everyone's suspicion.

Yukiko turned to face the pair. "Ch-Chie said...that the Midnight Channel showed a clear and vivid image tonight."

Kanji clicked his tongue and naturally mumbled a curse at the killer. Naoto, on the other hand, simply released the breath she had been holding and remained silent.

"So in the end, both of them got thrown in, huh?" Kanji grumbled.

To his and Naoto's surprise, however, Yukiko shook her head. "No...that's not it," she replied. "Only...only one of them did."

Naoto's eyes widened. "What?! But...that's..."

"That's impossible, ain't it?!" Kanji finished for the detective. "Didn't the both of 'em show up the past two nights? Doesn't that mean that both of them were targeted?!"

"I don't understand it myself..." Yukiko said regretfully.

Naoto closed her eyes. "...Understanding will have to come later." Then she reopened them with a determined frown. "Amagi-senpai...who is it?"

As Yukiko ended the call, her grip on her cell phone tightened. "It's..."

***

Huddled together on the sofa in the darkness of their apartment, a pair of shadows kept their eyes glued to the screen of their television set which had once again come to life for the third time that week.

A fistful of popcorn was suspended in mid-air when the screen produced a clear, distinct image - and someone they recognised stepped into the scenery.

And when words that sounded alien in that familiar someone's voice started spilling out from his very lips, the arm fell onto the sofa limply.

"...Iza-nii?"


	15. Backside of the TV

_An empty landscape that stretched into infinity._

_Mist that shrouded the area, enveloping it in a thick cloud of white._

_Snow that was falling from an invisible sky._

_In the middle of it all stood a lone man, his long, fur-trimmed winter coat rustling with the gentle wind. With the hood draped over his face and his hands in the coat pockets, the man raised his head, and then his lips curled into a twisted smile._

_"A pleasant good evening to all of you lovely viewers tuning into this programme tonight," the man greeted politely._

_"Bringing you this live broadcast is none other than yours truly, Orihara Izaya," he went on to say, placing his hand on his chest._

_"Tonight, I will be departing into unexplored territory. One that is fraught with inexplicable danger and infested with hostile forces! Now, doesn't that sound so thrilling?"_

_The man's face fell slightly._

_"Oh, but I wonder... Will you come and find me?" He glanced away. "It isn't any fun all by myself, after all. And it'll be positively frightening to go into such a dangerous place alone."_

_Then, almost instantaneously, the man made a merry spin on his feet._

_"Well~ no point mulling over that! I'm sure someone will come looking for me soon."_

_A vicious smirk crept its way onto his features._

_"Just try not to get yourself killed in the process. That would be so boring."_

_The man raised two of his fingers, giving the audience a peace sign._

_"Well then, I'll be heading off first! Don't take too long in catching up to me, ne?"_

_Then he leaned forward, revealing his blood red eyes under the hood as he gazed at the screen._

_"I'll be waiting for you."_

_And on that final note, the hooded man took off, venturing further and further into the unknown land that was laid out before him._

_And just as his entire figure melted into the curtain of mist and snow..._

_Peals of maniacal laughter erupted from all around him._

And then the image slowly died away.

***

**April 19, 2013**

"Hey, did you see? The thing that came on last night?"

"Yeah, it was creepy, man. The laughter at the end made me sick."

"And it was that Orihara Izaya who was in that creepy programme, too. Damn bastard pissed me off with those freakin' mood swings of his."

"The guy's an unstable freak. Who the hell would ever want to go looking for _him_?"

"Che. I hope _he_ dies out there, wherever that place is. After everything he did to us, that asshole deserves it."

"...Tch."

The sudden loud clicking of somebody's tongue caught the immediate attention of the group of delinquents were discussing among themselves. Just as they raised their heads, getting ready for a retort, their expressions of anger and frustration flashed to those of fear.

"You guys are so damn noisy it's getting on my nerves..." the newcomer to the discussion hissed, sending them a death glare. "Who the hell do you bastards think you are, talking behind somebody else's back like that?"

The teenagers trembled to the point that their knees were on the brink of buckling and giving way to the ground.

"I-it's H-Heiwajima Shizuo!"

"L-let's get outta here!"

And then they scurried away.

The man who sent them scampering like helpless mice simply watched until they disappeared from his sight before he joined a dreadlocked man and a young blonde who were standing on the opposite pavement. Their faces carried no traces of sympathy for the adolescents who unknowingly challenged the fortissimo of Ikebukuro's temper.

"Sorry for the holdup," Shizuo said quietly, a stark contrast to the harsh growl he had used on the teenagers just a moment ago.

"Don't worry about it," Tom replied with an understanding smile. "I'm a little surprised, though. I didn't think you'd stand up for Izaya like that."

"It's not..." Shizuo paused.

Was it standing up for Izaya that he did just now? It wasn't like it was what those guys said that made him angry, after all. It was more of the fact that they were talking shit about another person behind their back instead of walking up to that person and telling it to their face. If it had been somebody else they were talking about, Shizuo would do the same thing.

Besides, he didn't think he'd defend someone like Izaya either.

"...I just found them irritating," Shizuo finished.

Tom hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He stared after the street, which had been left deserted and quiet after the group of youngsters took their leave. With a light shrug directed at nobody in particular, Tom unfolded the piece of paper in his hands and skimmed through its contents. "Well, we should get back to work. It's a pretty long list today...whew, woulda look at that... Hm?" Tom turned to face Shizuo, giving him a curious look. "Oh yeah, what happened to the girl who helped us out yesterday?"

Vorona sent an equally inquisitive look to her senpai, who stiffened slightly. "Uh...she's busy today," Shizuo answered. _'Busy getting ready to save someone.'_

"I see... I have to admit, although she scared most of our clients off, she did help us out a great deal. I'd like to thank her, if possible."

The blond nodded. "I'll see what I can do, Senpai." And the topic was closed.

Putting the incident from earlier aside, the three of them didn't have much else left to discuss about, and so the debt collector and his two bodyguards simply walked towards their destination in silence. There were few cars and people wandering around at this point of the day; so few that they could hear the footsteps taken by one another as clearly as the sound of shattering glass.

It was only a moment after they had departed when Shizuo began giving the entire matter more thought.

Actually, there was another reason why he had flared up at those delinquents from earlier, but it wasn't for what Tom-senpai suggested. No, it was just that when he happened to overhear their conversation, memories of what Shizuo had seen the previous night flashed through his mind; memories which he tried so hard to ignore and forget. And remembering them riled him up.

Because the flea that had appeared on the weird programme last night was definitely not the flea Shizuo knew.

Sure, it had looked like the flea and sounded like the flea, but something about it seemed _off_. The mood swings were one thing; the crazy laughter, however...

Shizuo had heard the flea's laughs before - which were all damn freakin' _annoying_ \- but the deranged laughter from last night didn't sound like it came from the flea at all.

 _'...Oh right. Didn't those kids say that whoever appears isn't really the person who got thrown in? And it's some kind of...thing that comes from the person?'_ Shizuo tilted his head slightly upwards as he recalled what the group of teenagers told Shinra, Celty and him while two of their teammates were inside the TV two days ago.

Well, now that he thought about it, it wasn't that hard to believe if the flea-like thing from last night was something that came from the flea himself, actually, even though it still sounded weird. The flea had always been so damn shady about every single thing he did, after all.

But he had to admit, what _was_ hard to believe had been--

"Shizuo-saaaan!"

The former bartender instinctively turned in the direction of the familiar voice calling out to him. A cheerful, bespectacled young girl, dressed in a sailor uniform, whose dark brown hair was tied in two long braids waved at him excitedly as she dashed across the road towards him. Next to her was another young girl, her shoulder-length hair of the same shade of brown, wearing a high school gym outfit and a blank expression as she kept up with her companion.

There was a quiet "Geh" coming from Tom at the sight of the pair of girls while Vorona, tossing them a rather cold gaze, was about to step in front of Shizuo only to be stopped by the man himself. "It's okay, you know 'em too, remember?" Shizuo paused, giving his kouhai a smile. "But...thanks."

Vorona stared at him curiously before taking a closer look at the girls, and then, without a word, stepped aside.

"Sorry, Tom-san, I'll try to handle this quickly."

"Nah, it's okay, Shizuo. Take your time." Despite his own words, however, Tom didn't seem all that supportive of the idea of having the girls linger around for too long.

Shizuo gave a nod and then he walked towards the pair, who sped up at the gesture. "Shizuo-sa--oof!"

Calmly, the blond moved down the pavement until they were no longer within earshot distance of Tom and Vorona before he set the girls down on their feet. "...Kururi, Mairu," he acknowledged. "What the hell are you two doing here? If it's about Kasuka..."

"Buu-buu! You got it wrong, Shizuo-san," Mairu replied sunnily, sticking a tongue out. "We're looking for Iza-nii!"

Shizuo couldn't help but flinch at the response.

"House... Absent... (We went to his apartment but we couldn't find him there.)" Kururi explained. "Arrival... Discovery... (So we came here to look for him.)"

"Yeah! 'Cause we thought Iza-nii might have come over here. Have you seen him, Shizuo-san?" Mairu looked around with a hand over her eyes.

Shizuo's stern expression softened. _'...Should I tell them?'_ he contemplated, keeping his eyes on the twins who were trying to find an older brother that was no longer in their world. _'They might not be on good terms with the flea, but they have the right to know.'_ Shizuo lowered his head. _'But, still...'_

To tell them that their brother had been taken away by a murderer? That they had to rely on just a bunch of teenagers to rescue him? That there was nothing they could do except wait?

 _"We can't guarantee that we'll be able to rescue you if you were to enter there..."_ the words of the teenagers' leader suddenly surfaced in Shizuo's mind.

If what the kid said applied to him, then didn't it also mean...?

...The fact that _Orihara Izaya_ fell to some unknown person's trap was still very hard to swallow, let alone the possibility that he might really--

Shizuo shook his head with a sigh. He couldn't imagine how Izaya's sisters would react if they were to know.

"Shizuo-san?" Mairu's voice broke the blond's train of thought.

"...Sorry, I don't remember seeing him," Shizuo answered. While he didn't want the twins to know the truth, he sure as hell wasn't going to cook up some kind of lie for them. "But if he dares show his face around here, I'll make sure to send him flying across Ikebukuro."

Mairu's mouth opened, ever so slightly, for just a brief moment before it turned into a pout. "Not...not if _we_ get to him first! Right, Kuru-nee?"

The quieter of the two simply nodded with a slight frown.

Shizuo's brows creased. Something about the twins' reaction didn't seem right. "Hang on, aren't you two supposed to be in school right now? Why're you even looking for the flea in the first place?"

"That's..." Mairu and Kururi stared at the ground and then at each other, hesitantly, before raising their heads again to meet Shizuo's eyes. "Well, actually...we saw something weird on TV last night."

"...Oh," Shizuo muttered.

"And it's not just us. Almost everybody in school saw it, too. We heard them talking about it. The teachers, too." The younger twin reached for her sister's hand and grasped it tightly. "The more they talked about it, the more we wanted to know what happened last night, so Kuru-nee and I decided to skip."

"Locate... Brother... (And we've been trying to find Iza-nii ever since.)" Kururi added.

"It's still no reason to skip school," Shizuo lightly reprimanded. "Hurry up and run back before you get into trouble."

"Don't wanna~" Mairu didn't even give his advice any thought. "We're not going back till we find Iza-nii."

Shizuo's frown deepened. He decided to try another approach. "Look, I know you're worried about your brother--"

" _Worried_?" Mairu tried but ended up failing to bite back the series of giggles that escaped her lips. Even the normally stoic Kururi had to turn away and hide a quiet snicker behind her hand. "Yeah right. We just want to know if the thing last night was Iza-nii's doing, that's all. I mean, if he really is in some dangerous place like he said, then all the better for everyone, right? But if he’s just messing around, like the Iza-nii we know, then it’s up to Kuru-nee and I to punish him~"

"Affirmative... (Precisely.)"

“So yeah, we’re not going back until we see Iza-nii with our own eyes!” Mairu sang.

Shizuo sighed. _'...Sorry, Tom-san, looks like I'm gonna take longer than I thought.'_

***

The unexpected turn of events from the previous night brought Souji and his team back to Kishitani-sensei's apartment in the cold, rainy afternoon of Friday, after Souji and Yosuke were done with their morning lectures.

If they had a choice, they would have gathered in the food court of a shopping mall with an electronics department as opposed to the relatively smaller living room of somebody else's apartment, but as things had turned out, such a choice didn't exist.

"This is the safest place to enter through," Rise said, the exhaustion from the search still evident in her voice. "The other TVs we've tried led us to places with a lot more Shadows, so this is the best we have right now."

"It's not ideal, but we'll deal with it," Chie added.

Souji and Yosuke, who had been listening to their teammates filling them in, both nodded at that.

"Got it," the leader replied. "Thanks, Rise, Teddie. It's been hard on you."

The two of them protested against that by shaking their heads while flashing Souji rejuvenated smiles.

"Alright. Since we'll be facing some Shadows the moment we enter, we should decide on our strategy now." As he spoke, Souji looked over his team, making sure they were listening attentively. "It's been a while since we've done this, so to be safe, we'll have those with the most experience forming the main team who will be on the frontline." The silver-haired adolescent locked eyes with his former classmates. "Yosuke, Satonaka, Amagi, that’ll be the four of us. Are you ready for that?"

"Not a problem at all, partner," Yosuke affirmed. Chie and Yukiko agreed.

Then the leader of the Investigation Team turned to face the others. "Kanji, Naoto, the both of you will form the backup team. Remember, saving the victim is important, but your safety takes precedence over anything else. No rushing into things."

"...Understood," Naoto replied quietly.

"Yeah, we know what to do," Kanji assured.

Souji's unwavering gaze lingered on the detective for a moment before it moved on to the remaining two members of his team. "Don't push yourself, Rise," he murmured, his eyes softening. "Teddie, I'm leaving Rise in your care."

Teddie gave a vigorous nod. "You can count on me, Sensei!"

With redness tinting her already rosy cheeks, the idol let a giggle escape her lips. "Honestly, Senpai, I'm not _that_ fragile from returning to showbiz, you know. So don't worry about me. I'll be perfectly fine."

"I'm not leaving you unprotected when there are Shadows around," Souji said firmly.

Rise smiled. "I know, Senpai."

Souji gave her a look of mild disapproval, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "Okay. With that settled, let's go through our items. Did you guys manage to find the store?"

"Yes," Yukiko answered. "Satomi Tadashi Drugstore, was it? It had all that we needed." She opened up the large travelling bag that the team had taken with them, revealing some Medical Kits and Chewing Souls, among many other things that were also sold in the Shiroku Store back in Inaba. "We also dropped by the fresh produce section in one of the supermarkets here and bought some of the vegetables there."

Souji and Yosuke looked mildly surprised at that and went on to check the vegetables Yukiko had spoken of. Yosuke's eyes widened slightly. "These crops... Aren't they...?"

The manager of the Amagi Inn nodded enthusiastically. "It's Inaba."

A smile of relief and joy was painted on Yosuke's face. "That's so great. They really did it," he muttered to himself. "Huh? But, wait..."

 _'Just a few days ago, when I first came here and went shopping for nabe ingredients...'_ the brunet reminisced. _'Oh that's right. It was Souji who picked them out and prepared the nabe, so I couldn't tell back then, but the vegetables...'_

Yosuke looked at his partner, as if seeking confirmation, and he got the answer he needed when Souji smiled at him knowingly.

"Seeing the town so alive and full of energy, willing to give themselves another chance to make a name for themselves... And now they've done it." Chie rubbed her nose absentmindedly, looking slightly teary-eyed. "It really felt that it was all worth it. Solving the case and stuff."

"Yeah..."

Everyone glanced up at the ceiling, smiling fondly as memories of Inaba and her townspeople surfaced in their minds.

"...Alright," Kanji was the first to break the silence. "We've done it before. We can do it again, yeah? Let's crack this case and nab the killer!"

"Together," Yukiko added. Her teammates nodded simultaneously at that.

"Come on," Souji spoke with hope and renewed determination, "let's split our items up."

The team, with the exception of Rise, proceeded to do just that, putting as much as they could in their pockets and the waist pouches which they kept hidden beneath their clothes. At the same time, they checked their glasses and weapons before concealing them from view - a habit of theirs rather than a necessity under current circumstances.

After the few minutes of the final round of preparation, Souji quickly inspected his teammates, and then he said, "Good. Looks like we're all ready. Any questions before we head in?"

"Um...what about Shizuo-san? He's not really in the clear yet, right?" Rise asked, partially out of concern for the man himself, but mostly on behalf of his younger brother whom she had worked with before.

Being an only child, Rise couldn't really say she understood how it felt like to have a sibling in danger, but when she visualised her grandmother being all alone in Inaba with no one to protect her amidst the kidnappings and murders two years back, it made Rise's heart ache with worry. She imagined herself as Risette, away in the city and being flooded by work... Just an ordinary citizen who was separated from her family. Knowing that there was a group of people fighting to protect her hometown where her family lived would certainly have brought her a lot of comfort. The same must go for Kasuka-senpai too, Rise believed.

"Ah, don't worry," Yosuke answered, "Souji already asked Vorona-san to keep an eye on him for us if we're not there. She was a little wary at first, but hey, it was Souji, you know." The brunet gave his best friend a wink.

"I didn't really do anything..." Souji replied sheepishly.

"Well, basically, I guess it means he's safe for now. But we can't let our guard down, so we have to make it back here before it gets too late at night."

"I see." Rise gave a quiet sigh of relief. "Thanks, Senpai."

"No problem," Souji said. Then, with the smile on his face wiped off swiftly, he faced his friends, and waited for the briefest of moments before he continued, "Alright. If there are no further questions, we'll be heading in now." He quickly shifted his attention to the other two occupants in the room he had yet to address all this while - a bespectacled, brown-haired man and a headless woman in a black riding suit - who had been watching everything in silence. "Kishitani-sensei, Celty-san, thank you for letting us use your TV. And...I'm sorry.

"We've been doing nothing but intrude on you since Wednesday, and we got you involved in this...all because of my own carelessness that night." The others, Yosuke in particular, were about to protest against that, but Souji quickly prevented them from doing so, "But Celty-san and Kishitani-sensei have been so kind and helpful despite all that. Really...thank you so much."

Celty did not hesitate to type out her reply. [Please don't apologise or thank us, Souji-kun. It was our choice to get ourselves involved in this.] When she made sure that everyone had read the message, she erased it and typed out another. [Do be careful in there.]

"We will."

"...Souji-kun." Shinra's voice, which had been full of energy and liveliness for the past few days Souji knew him, was now sullen and strangely detached, almost like how Margaret sounded before he first met her alone. "About Izaya..."

When the doctor trailed off, leaving a pregnant pause in its wake, Souji nodded. “I understand. We'll do our best to save him." The leader of the Investigation Team met his teammates' eyes once more before directing his gaze to the television screen. "Let's go," he said as he sunk his hand into the screen and allowed himself to fall through completely.

It had been almost a year since travelling to the TV world, but the frequent trips he made back then allowed Souji's body to adjust to the intimidating sense of falling as naturally as blinking. The cold, stale air whipped around him violently as Souji drew closer towards solid ground. Mist was beginning to shroud his vision, and he reached into the pocket where he kept his glasses.

It wasn't long until Souji caught sight of specks of sickly yellow against a dark shade of brown. In a practised, fluid motion, he spun into an upright position, allowing him to land safely. One by one, his teammates followed him.

Souji chose that moment to put on his spectacles, and they took effect instantly, permitting him to have a much clearer look at the world he had just stepped into.

What could be called a sky was made up of nothing but black, thundering clouds looming over them ominously. When lightning flashed, it flashed a dangerous shade of scarlet.

Unlike the cryptic image of human-like figures and ripples alternating between black and white, the ground here was plain, tainted only by what appeared to be shrivelled up grass and weeds. It sunk in slightly, leaving a distinct print of the soles of Souji's shoes as he walked around the area.

"Sure is foggy in here..." Kanji commented as he set his Aegis Shield down, switching his normal pair of spectacles to the shades he used when moving around in the TV world.

"And there are Shadows around, just like what Rise-chan and Teddie said," Yukiko was quick to point out, readying her Suzaku Feather.

While adjusting her own pair of glasses, Chie kicked a tiny Shadow crawling on the ground into pieces using her Sleipnir boots. "Is it just me, or is it a lot colder than I remember?" As she spoke, puffs of white smoke escaped her lips.

"Chie-chan's right," said Teddie, already in his bear suit and equipped with his Platinum Claw. "It wasn't _this_ cold when Rise-chan and I came here."

"It must be because Orihara-san is here." Souji brought out his Blade of Totsuka and engaged a nearby large Shadow in battle before it could notice their presence. "Rise, can you sense him?"

"...He's in here, that's for sure," Rise replied as she scanned the area using Kanzeon's abilities. "And since it's pretty cold where we are now, he has to be somewhere near here."

"But...?" Yosuke said, casually joining his partner in eliminating the Shadow using his Hattori.

With Kanzeon's visor over her eyes, nobody could notice Rise frowning as she focused on locating the informant. "It's really weird... I mean, I _know_ he's here, but I just can't find him, for some reason. It's like there's something blocking me, just...not completely, I guess."

"Are you able to give us a general direction, at least?" Naoto suggested as she fired her Algernon at another stray Shadow.

"...I think...it's this way," Rise answered hesitantly, raising her right hand to point in the northwest direction.

"Okay," Souji acknowledged, sheathing his katana after the Shadow he was fighting dissipated. "We need to hurry there before more Shadows come here, otherwise we'd never see the end of them."

The others, chorusing their agreements, swiftly finished off the remaining Shadows in the vicinity before heading northwest. Their shoe prints trailed behind them with every step they took across the ground, which looked - and felt - as soft as damp soil. The supposed dirt clung onto the soles, and showed no hesitation in staining the main body of the team's shoes as they bolted towards their destination.

As the distance between that and the team shortened, the clearer the view of a towering wall - made up crystalline bricks and cement - that was, undoubtedly, not a part of this world until a human invaded the Shadows' home. The group only stopped when they felt they were near enough to the vortex of red and black ripples that served as the entrance to the product of Orihara Izaya's mind.

"Is this it, Rise?" Yosuke asked the idol. "It looks kinda...simple. A bit _too_ simple, if you ask me."

"Yeah, after meeting the guy yesterday, I thought he'd make a palace or somethin'. This is just...a wall," Kanji deadpanned.

Though the doubt was evident in her features as well, Rise gave a nod. "I'm positive. It's still pretty weak, but I'm definitely picking up Orihara-san from inside there. And look, isn't it snowing around here? I mean, it doesn't seem as heavy as it did on the Midnight Channel, but Orihara-san was shown in some place that was snowing, right?"

"Hm... If Kujikawa-san has detected the presence of Orihara-san, regardless of how faint it might be, then we should have no reason to doubt the origin of this structure," Naoto responded curtly. "However, I suspect that this wall might be responsible for temporarily limiting the effectiveness of Kujikawa-san's ability. We must proceed with caution."

"I agree." Souji turned to face his teammates. "Alright. Yosuke, Amagi, take care of the sides. Satonaka, you'll be keeping an eye out for enemies that may appear from the back. Kanji, Naoto, move in only when Rise gives the signal. Teddie, I'm counting on you to protect Rise and help her in any way possible." A pause. "It's going to be tough, but we need to rescue Orihara-san today. It'll be storming tonight, so the fog might set in tomorrow. We can't afford to make any mistakes."

The rest of the team didn't reply, and simply nodded with grim expressions painted on their faces.

"Remember, conserve your strength, but not at the expense of your own safety. And don't hesitate to use the items you have. The four of us will be going in first. Rise."

"Already on it," the brunette replied, analysing the interior of the wall through the visor that Kanzeon brought down. "...Naoto-kun's right, whatever this wall is made of, it's blocking me out. Normally, I can tell for sure if someone's been trapped inside, but this time, I can barely sense Orihara-san. It's almost like...he's there and he's not at the same time."

"Like trying to catch a fish in murky water..." Souji mumbled to himself before speaking in a louder voice, "I understand, Rise. Maybe you'll be able to look further when we go through the entrance. But if you still can't detect much, then you'll have to try going in yourself. Are you okay with that?"

"Of course, Senpai."

"Thank you." When no further comments were made by his teammates, Souji directed his attention to the entrance and readily unsheathed his blade. "Let's move off," he said as he dashed forward, with Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko right behind him.

***

"...Well, this is the place."

A figure dressed in a baggy long-sleeved grey turtleneck and tight fitting pants stepped into the room. Tilting the tip of the black baseball cap on his head, the figure, who looked like a man in his mid-twenties, observed his surroundings.

The room's walls and floor were all painted white. There were no windows nor air ducts; just a normal ceiling fan providing all ventilation by itself. In the heart of this world of white laid a simple, horizontal wooden table that stretched from the left side of the room to the right. A glass panel that was just as long and tall enough to reach the ceiling was attached to the table. It was as if the table and panel had acted like a barrier, splitting the white world into two halves. In each half was a plain brown chair, looking anything but inviting and comfortable.

"Please, do have a seat," the uniformed man who led the way said in such a timely manner that it was almost as if he were making a mockery of the young man. "It shouldn't take very long. I'll go check if he's on his way."

And then he left, leaving the capped figure by himself.

With nothing better to do, the figure sat on the chair and took out what appeared to be a pass from his pocket. Hanging his head low, he stared at it, and ran his fingers across the plastic.

Then, as what the uniformed staff had said, it wasn't long before the door on the other half of the room opened, allowing a man in his late twenties to enter. He had unkempt dark brown hair, and wore a set of white shirt and shorts that hung from his thin body loosely. He looked at the capped figure with dull, lazy eyes as he dragged his slippers over to the chair and took a seat.

It was the capped figure who picked up the phone on his side of the table first and held it to his ear. A long, quiet moment passed before the brown-haired man gave a sigh and took the phone as well.

"...Yeah? Whaddya want?" he drawled, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "I don't like having visitors. Especially when they're strangers like you. So make it quick before I decide to leave."

The capped figure did not respond.

The brown-haired man clicked his tongue. "Look here. I only bothered to come because I was curious to know who was so _desperate_ to see me that they had some row with the guys at the counter and nearly barged in here without getting special permission," he said sweetly yet dryly. Though he could not see it, the eyes of the capped figure narrowed to slits. "But if you came to waste my time, then I'm not playing your game anymore." And with that, he hung up.

Just as he got up from his seat and turned away, the capped figure knocked on the glass twice. "Like I _said_ ," the man spat, tilting his head back, "if you're just trying to kill time, then--...huh?" Almost immediately, he sat back down, keeping his now widened eyes on the pass the figure was holding up against the glass. Reluctantly, the man picked up the phone again, and spoke into it, "You... Who the hell are you?"

In a swift motion, the figure kept the pass and turned his cap around, revealing a pair of emotionless brown eyes staring back at the man's own. "Pleased to meet you, Adachi Tooru-san," the figure said coolly, his voice rough and slightly masculine. "I'm here on behalf of the Ikebukuro Police Force concerning the murders that took place in Inaba two years ago. You may call me Nakura."


	16. Unknown I

**April 19, 2013**

**???, 1F**

The transition between the frost-covered land to that of the interior of the crystalline wall was almost like stepping into another dimension altogether. While the same could certainly be said for the other "dungeons" the team had gone to in the past, the experience this time felt a little different.

The sudden drop in the surrounding temperature aside, the inside of the wall looked nothing like what Souji had expected. For one thing, the area of the floor was immensely vast, and the ground was made of soil with small fields of crystals of various colours found in random parts of the ground, giving the appearance of a cave rather than the interior of a wall. At the same time, there were wooden boxes and sealed potato sacks resting against the sides of the room, and knives with crystalline blades embedded in the wall where a glistening gate were located, encircling it like a frame made from gems.

In the heart of this particular room they were in, there was also a pond, unfrozen despite the extremely cold weather. Water dripped from the ceiling and into the pond, causing ripples at regular but long intervals. A thin cloud of mist that drifted over the area was most visible against the sparkling pond, which seemed to be the main light source in the dim cave-like interior.

"Well, this is...impressive," Yosuke commented. "Though I have to say, I'm not really sure what all this is supposed to be. I mean, are we inside a cave within a wall or something?"

"Maybe the wall is blocking the cave and we can only get in through the swirly vortex thing," Chie suggested.

"...But doesn't that defeat the purpose of having the wall?"

"Don't ask me, I'm not the one who made this place," the brunette answered with a frown.

Before Yosuke could reply, Souji cut in, "Hang on, I'm trying to get a connection with Rise." At that, his teammates fell silent in anticipation for their junior's voice. When a few seconds passed with no response, Souji raised his left hand to cover his left ear, and glanced upward at the ceiling. It wasn't like doing this action in particular would help much, if at all, but at least it could serve to drown out any sounds in the surroundings. "Rise, are you there?"

There was a brief telepathic sizzle, like feedback from a faulty radio, before faint traces of Rise's voice could be heard. _"...ai... C...ou he..."_

"...I can barely hear you, Rise. Are you able to hear me, at least?"

No response.

"Rise?"

Another sizzle, and then the connection was completely cut off.

With a sigh, Souji lowered his arm. "Something's definitely not right about this place." He turned to face his teammates, holding the hilt of his katana with both of his hands. "But there's no other choice. We'll just have to move on while we wait for Rise to re-establish the connection. If we don't reach the last floor in time, it'll be too late to save Orihara-san." There was a haunted look in Souji's dull, grey eyes as he said this and dropped his gaze.

"Seta-kun...?" Yukiko whispered concernedly.

Yosuke placed a comforting hand on Souji's shoulder, sharing an equally grave look. "Take it easy there, partner. We know we can't afford to slip up when it's someone's life on the line, but all the more we have to relax and do this like we always did, right?" An uneasy grin replaced the earlier frown. "I'm sure things will turn out fine."

The grey-haired adolescent met his best friend's eyes. "But Yosuke, you..."

"Hm?"

Souji hesitated, and then his grim expression vanished almost instantly. "No, nothing. You're right. Thanks, Yosuke."

This time, the brunet wore a genuine smile. "Any time, partner."

Souji flashed him back with a tiny smile of his own before it disappeared. "Sorry about the holdup. I shouldn't have mentioned that," Souji apologised to his team, his grip on the hilt of his Blade of Totsuka tightening slightly. "Come on, let's move out from here." Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko gave their agreement.

As Souji took the first step in the mission, Yosuke got ready by sliding his headphones over his ears until they rested comfortably on his head and holding onto his Hattori tightly. Amagi, on the other hand, had already unfolded her trusty fan and brought it up in a defensive stance. Satonaka started stretching her legs, continuously skipping in one spot until her teammates in front of her took off.

Their leader ran in the direction of the gate, the only visible entrance to any other part of this cave. With no known information about it, Souji could only experiment with the surrounding knives as well as the crystals on the gate themselves in order to figure out a way to open the pathway. It was only when he gave the dangling knife by the right a hard twist that a 'crack' sound was heard and the gate lifted.

The corridor leading to the next and only room visible was dark and warm. It was made out of stone, which would have felt cold if not for the lit torches lined along the walls.

"Hey, this place..." Yukiko started. "Doesn't it look like part of an actual underground dungeon?"

Chie looked around once more. "Now that you mention it, you're right... It _does_ look like a dungeon. Running through this corridor makes me feel like I'm some kind of dungeon warden or something."

In front of her, Yosuke groaned. "This place doesn't make any sense. First, it's a wall, then it's a cave, and now it's a literal dungeon? Plus it can block Rise out, for some reason. And let's not forget that we're only on the _first freakin' floor_." He shook his head. "Ugh, I just hope it won't get worse from here on out."

"Don't jinx us, Hanamura! Sheesh.”

"R-right, sorry."

At nearly the same time, the team reached the locked gate. Souji promptly turned the knife that was in the same position as that of the first room, and the four of them waited patiently as the gate ascended.

Cautiously, Souji entered the adjacent room, which looked like a carbon copy of the first room they were in, but with a smaller - but deadlier-looking - pond at its core. Bubbles rose to the surface of the water rapidly; the water was dyed a sickly shade of black, as though a layer of black oil coated it, and it didn't give off any glow which would have helped serve as their light source in this area.

Remaining by the entrance where the gate had parted way, Souji took a quick glance around and found two more such gates: one directly opposite of him, and the other at his right. Gut instinct told him to choose the opposite gate.

The group made their way over safely, making sure to avoid the bubbling black pond, and stepped through when the entrance was opened. The dungeon corridor was now split in two opposite directions, both paths leading to different parts of the floor, no doubt. With no way of knowing what lied ahead except to take the risk and venture further, Souji thoughtlessly ran to his right. It only took a few steps before a dark creature crawling on the ground came into view, its back turned on the four teenagers approaching it.

_'A Shadow...! This is a good chance!'_

With that thought in mind, the leader of the Investigation Team raised his katana and swiftly brought it down onto the black mass. The others quickly fell into position, ensuring that the Shadow was surrounded, and readied their respective weapons as the Shadow started to morph. It split into three, slowly forming distinct but similar shapes - a ridiculously plump humanoid figure donning a formal PD attire, its face covered by a mask, and possessing a gun and handcuffs as hands. A golden key rested in the large hole in its stomach.

"Okay, we have the advantage for now. Use this chance to identify the enemy's weakness," instructed Souji, who wasted no time in raising his right hand to allow a glistening blue tarot card that manifested from out of nowhere to drift into his palm. Immediately, he crushed the card, the sound of shattering glass reverberating in the area as he did so, and then the ghostly apparition of Japan's original god faded into existence.

Raising his chest upwards, Izanagi called upon the lightning, which struck the Fuzz Shadow in a soft sizzle. The deformed policeman-like figure collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

"Whoa, you hit its weakness right off the bat!" Chie exclaimed excitedly.

"Excellent!" Yukiko cheered.

Yosuke gave his friend a thumbs-up, tapping his foot to the beat of his music. "Keep going, partner!"

Relieved that the Shadow didn't reflect or absorb the attack, Souji summoned Izanagi once more to deliver a Zio to the other two Fuzzes, knocking them down.

In the corner of his vision, Souji saw his teammates running up to him, forming a line in front of the fallen Shadows.

"Alright. One for all and all for one!" Yosuke initiated the cue for the usual group attack. When Souji nodded in confirmation, the brunet shouted an "Okay!" and yelled for the Shadows to get out of their way as the team charged forward and repeatedly hit the Shadows with all their might using their weapons.

The vicious, mostly one-sided brawl in a place as cramped as the corridor inadvertently chipped off small pieces of stone and accumulated dusty particles in the air, forming a dense cloud of dust and dirt surrounding the team and their enemies. And though the Shadows were crumpled onto the floor and too stunned from the earlier Zio attack to conjure up the strength and concentration required to cast any spells, they put up a commendable struggle with the four Persona-users, occasionally sending them flying out of the cloud.

When the Fuzzes showed signs of recovery, Souji ordered his team to fall back, which they did so with no questions asked. The cloud parted way to reveal the Shadows pulling themselves back on their feet, clearly not willing to give up the last bit of life left in them.

"They just don't know when to quit, do they?" Yosuke grumbled, rubbing the blood oozing from the thin cut on his chin off distractedly.

"And neither do we!" Chie added, determination blazing in her eyes. "Yukiko, you ready?"

"Whenever you are, Chie!" the raven-haired girl responded as the two of them ran towards each other.

Then, simultaneously, a pair of glowing blue tarot cards appeared before them, and the duo quickly crushed the cards - Yukiko with her fan, and Chie, her boot - bringing Suzuka Gongen and Amaterasu to life. The female warrior raised her double-edged lightsabre with her right hand and the sun goddess raised her sword with her left before the two Personas brought them down in tandem, pointing their weapons at the hunched over Shadows.

Almost immediately, two majestic dragons, their entire bodies dyed a magnificent gold, emerged from the ground, soaring in the air in a mesmerising dance as a massive, red flower directly under the Shadows unfolded its petals in a grand gesture. The legendary creatures then dived straight into the heart of the flower where the Fuzzes stood, the impact causing the entire area to be engulfed in blinding gold and red as the air rained torn petals.

As the shining colours died away, so did the dragons, the flower, and the Personas that summoned them. The corridor was intact, with no sign of fallen petals or the dragons bursting forth from the ground, as though the brilliant display was but a figment of everyone's imagination, but the charred remains of the Fuzzes that lied on the ground said otherwise.

Chie wiped away the perspiration trickling down from her forehead with a proud grin on her face. "Whew, we managed to pull that one off somehow," she said, stretching her arms. While she spoke, Yosuke had gone to the pile of remains to scavenge for any money or intact body parts; Souji, for some reason, was standing nearby with a hand on his back, but Chie was too excited to pay it much attention. "I mean, it's been, what, more than a year since we last tried that move?"

"Mm-hm. And it came out so well, too." Despite the grime on her face and clothes, the manager of a traditional family ryokan smiled cheerfully.

Chie laughed. "It sure did! I hope we get to do it again!"

"Hey, Satonaka, Amagi!" Yosuke called out. "It's time to get a move on!"

The girls turned and nodded to each other, a silent gesture of their agreement, before they joined the boys in running down the corridor.

***

"Come on out here, Rokuten Maoh!"

At the bellow of his master's command, the colossal figure of the sword-wielding king of hell manifested above Kanji's head and swept his weapon across an unsuspecting Twins. The Shadow, taking the full brunt of the attack, screeched in pain before it degenerated, leaving only a handful of coins in its wake.

While Naoto walked over to retrieve the money, Kanji moved to the entrance of the room, keeping a lookout for any Shadows that might have been loitering outside for a chance to catch them by surprise.

"The coast's clear," Kanji informed his companion, who had just picked up the last of the coins on the ground.

"Understood. Let's carry on."

The pair then slowly made their way down the empty corridor, their path lit only by the flames of the torches. With just the two of them, neither of whom was capable of executing any healing spells, in an unpredictable place where considerably high-levelled Shadows gathered and crept about, they couldn't take the risk of literally running into any enemies that could be lurking around corners.

A brief moment of silence passed over before Kanji ended it, "It feels like...we're walking around in circles, aren't we?"

Naoto raised her head to meet Kanji's dark grey eyes. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, it's..." Kanji paused to frown. "Well, we can't hear Rise, right? Normally, she'd do some... _thing_ that can let us see where we're going. But since she can't even talk to us now, she's not able to do whatever it is that she usually does, so when we think we're going somewhere different, we might be going back to the same place over and over."

Naoto's brows creased, appearing deep in thought. "I see. So it seems that Tatsumi-kun shares the same feeling as I."

The Third Year couldn't fight back the blood rushing to his cheeks. "F-feeling?"

"About the possibility that we may not be making progress."

"O-oh, right. That." Kanji rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

Naoto gazed at him intently yet confusedly, but did not question Kanji about his usual strange behaviour, and went on to say, "While I wouldn't eliminate the likelihood that Kujikawa-san being unable to communicate with us is connected, I am inclined to believe that there is another underlying reason behind this matter we are facing." The detective took Kanji's silence as her cue to continue, "Orihara-san's Shadow...or rather, Orihara-san himself is denying us any further access."

"Huh, but...why?" After all, no matter how bad their own issues were, nobody's Shadow had ever stopped the team from reaching the top - or the bottom, in Naoto's case - before. Even Naoto's Shadow didn't go that far in rejecting them.

So it came as no surprise when Naoto sighed in response to Kanji’s question. "Unfortunately, I have yet to identify any justifiable reason. I can only make assumptions." She looked at her surroundings. "Regardless, there must be a way to locate the stairs. Perhaps we simply need to keep going."

"Like some kinda endurance test, huh?" Kanji sighed. "Man...I just hope we can get there in time."

"...Likewise," Naoto agreed quietly.

Kanji turned to look at her. "...Naoto?"

The detective gave him a sideway glance. "What is it?"

Kanji kept his eyes on her, and then he turned away, shaking his head. "S'nothin'."

Naoto, too, continued staring at her companion before she redirected her attention to the front, her expression unreadable. "Is that so?" was all she said.

The pair moved on in silence thereafter.

***

As the main team consisting of Souji, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko ventured further into the product of Orihara Izaya-san's mind, they came across many high-levelled Shadows, often ranging from one to four at one go, as well as the rooms with the ponds and crystals that usually contained Treasure Chests and the occasional Shadows.

At times, they could hear Rise reaching out to them mentally, but all they could pick up were broken words and static. The more they chanced upon unexplored areas, however, the clearer the picture that Rise was trying to plant in their heads became, and the less muffled her words were.

Without stopping for a break, the four of them pressed on, until they reached a gated room that apparently contained an unopened Treasure Chest, according to the now slightly blurred map that Rise tried so hard to provide them.

Like the few cave-like rooms before it, there were wooden crates, potato sacks and crystals scattered randomly around the room. The pond, however, was glaringly absent. In its place was an average-sized boulder, which was stained with patches of dark, rusty copper and freckles of glossy, venomous black. But under the dim lighting in the room, where the crystals' shine contributed nothing but a wide and confusing array of colours, it was impossible to tell exactly.

As Souji approached the suspicious-looking boulder, while his friends followed behind him carefully, he felt the tip of his foot knock against a load on the ground, causing a clattering sound that echoed in this secluded, almost completely enclosed area. Curiously but warily, the silver-haired teen knelt down, keeping a firm grip on his katana in one hand while holding up the object his foot had bumped into.

It was freezing. Numbingly so. But Souji refused to let go of it, and instead ran his fingers across the cold, heavy material, along its rough curves. A powdery substance cracked from the touch and fell into his palm as Souji attempted to identify the load. His fingers soon chanced upon a sharp bend, and then he understood. It didn't take much longer for the others to draw the same conclusion.

In his fervency to confirm that conclusion, Yosuke sprinted over to the opposite side of the boulder, and then inched forward until he stepped on what felt like a hump and heard something chime. He knelt down on one knee, taking up a position that was similar to Souji's, and felt his way around for the same load that Souji was holding in his hand.

"...the hell...?" the brunet muttered.

At that, Chie rushed out of the room and into the corridor, plucking a lit torch out from its stand along the wall. She hurried her way back, and lowered the flame towards Souji's hand, making sure not to bring it too close. The light provided by the fire brightened that one spot, revealing rounds of blood-coated metal connected to one another like a reddish brown braid resting on Souji's palm.

"Chains..." Yukiko murmured. "And with so much blood, too..."

"Just what on earth is going on in that guy's mind?" Yosuke wondered aloud, stepping away from the metallic mess.

"Only one way to find out," Chie replied. "And that's to keep going."

"Satonaka's right." As he stood, Souji brushed off the hardened blood that had tainted his hands. "We can discuss this later. Right now, we have to find the stairs and make it to the top as soon as possible."

Yosuke grimaced. "But we've been running all over the place, and still no sign of the stairs. Besides, isn't there supposed to be a Chest around here? I don't see any--"

_"--pai?! Sen......! Senpai, can you hear me?!"_

At the exact same time, music suddenly filled the room, charging the air with the melodious song of bells and strings. It was as if someone had forcibly pulled away the invisible ear plugs that had somehow been inserted into their ears.

Souji was the first to whip his head towards the ceiling. "Rise!"

 _"Oh, thank goodness! I finally got to you!"_ The idol's voice rang so clearly Souji and the others had to resist wincing as Rise continued yelling, completely unaware of the volume of her own voice, _"You wouldn't believe-- I was so scared! I kept calling and calling, but nobody answered! I-I thought you and everyone else..."_ She trailed off, breaking into a quiet sob which quickly escalated into a wail.

"It's okay, Rise. We're perfectly fine," the leader of the Investigation Team replied soothingly. He couldn't help but allow himself a faint smile, knowing that Rise was safe. "How is Teddie doing? And how about Naoto and Kanji? Have you managed to contact them?"

The brunette, having calmed down at the sound of her beloved senpai's voice, gave an audible sniff. _"Teddie’s fine… A little hurt, but it doesn’t look too bad. A-and yeah, Kanji and Naoto-kun are talking to me now... They said they want to know what happened to me."_

"We've been wondering about that, too. Was it this place? Was it blocking you out?"

_"That's what I thought at first when I tried to link up with your mind, Senpai. But when Teddie and I went in and tried again...it still didn't work."_

"It...didn't? So, it wasn't the wall's fault after all?" Yosuke asked, gently prompting the hesitant and still shaken up Rise to continue.

_"Yeah, that's what Teddie said. If it had been the wall, then going in would have cancelled the whole blocking thing, because no matter how shielded someone's innermost thoughts are, there's just no way they can avoid Kanzeon's radar like that. And even prevent me from reaching out to any of you, at that."_

Chie folded her arms with one brow raised. "Unless that someone isn't human, I guess...?"

Souji, Yosuke and Yukiko turned to look at the cadet with slightly widened eyes, not knowing how else to respond to a bold comment like that.

Upon realising that all eyes were on her, Chie gave a nervous, half-hearted laugh. "Wh...what? I-I just said the first thing that came to my mind, that's all. It's not like-- I-I mean, it just makes the most sense to me, somehow! ...Doesn't it?"

 _"Chie-senpai does have a point,"_ Rise was quick to agree. _"But not in the way you guys think it may be."_

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yukiko asked.

There was a slight delay in Rise's response, which was full of uncertainty and weariness. _"Actually...there's another reason why I think that it wasn't the wall that was blocking me out."_ Once more, she paused, and an awkward silence - save for the now faint ensemble of humming glassware - enveloped the room. In his head, Souji could imagine his kouhai lowering her head to look at the ground and shuffle her feet - gestures that were a sure tell-tale sign of Rise's reluctance to share whatever bad news she might have _. "When I first tried to make the connection with Senpai...I heard a voice."_

"A...voice?"

On her end, Rise nodded, despite knowing that it couldn't be transmitted. _"It totally cut me off somehow. I...I tried to overpower it, but it was too strong... It was only when I found an opening that I could finally reach you guys."_

Souji's features pulled into a pensive frown. "And this voice... Did it belong to Orihara-san?"

_"It sounded like the man who appeared on the Midnight Channel last night, so…”_

"I see..." Souji's frown deepened.

 _"Now it all makes sense..."_ Naoto added, her voice being transmitted to her senpais via Kanzeon. It was an ability Rise rarely found the need to employ, but under current circumstances, Souji-senpai and the others definitely needed Naoto's input on the matter. _"Earlier, Tatsumi-kun and I were discussing about how we haven't been making any progress beyond the first floor, but we have yet to arrive at any reasonable conclusions. However, if what Kujikawa-san says is true, then the two incidents must be connected."_

"Why? What does that mean?" Yosuke spoke, slightly confused at Souji and Naoto's reaction.

The silver-haired adolescent turned to face his partner. "It's like what Rise mentioned," he began to explain; Chie and Yukiko, too, paid close attention. "While Satonaka wasn't entirely wrong in guessing that Orihara-san might not be human, it's probably more accurate to say that he's not like ordinary people.

"If he is able to stop Rise from contacting us...if he is able to stop us from advancing further, then it must mean that he has control over this place, whether he realises it or not. Just like…Adachi-san," Souji continued to elaborate, his frown replaced by a very grave expression which his teammates now shared. "Orihara-san...may be in a lot more danger than we thought.”

Nobody challenged that assumption.

***

"Well, well...it seems that you have some interesting guests over today."

The man sitting cross-legged on the icy floor noted monotonously, twirling his finger around the dark hair of the fallen figure next to him.

"But it looks like the people you wish to see the most aren't among them. You're such a pitiful existence. My heart is crying for you."

The man spoke with a wide smirk plastered on his face.

Then he shifted his position, now leaning over the other man, casting a shadow on him as he continued playing with his hair, resting his chin on his free hand.

"Shall I bring them here?"

The figure did not stir at the man's suggestion; did not even stir as the man stroked his cheek tenderly.

"After all, it is what you desire."

The man whispered in the figure's ear gently; softly.

"And your desires are mine as well."

And then the man faded away, leaving no trace of his presence behind.

Throughout it all, the figure slept peacefully.


	17. Crystal Fortress II

**April 19, 2013**

**Crystal Fortress, 1F**

Fully understanding the implications of the theory he suggested, Souji wasted no time in bringing his team out of the thick silence they had fallen into. "...Rise, there's a Chest around here, right?"

The brunette hesitated for just a split second. _"E-eh? Well, yes, but... Ah, that's right. I just remembered. Senpai, do you see a boulder somewhere near you?"_

"We've been standing around one since, like, ages ago," Yosuke responded while trying to avoid looking at the bloodied chains. The colour in his face was still considerably absent.

Rise was not amused at his answer. _"Well, you have to get that boulder out of the way. The Treasure Chest is right underneath it."_

"That's...unusual," Yukiko commented, stepping aside for Souji to summon one of his physically stronger Personas to move the boulder away.

The teen idol seemed to agree, though it wasn't voiced aloud. _"I think Orihara-san, subconsciously or not, was trying to stop me from telling you guys about the location of this particular Treasure Chest. It probably contains something really important, so he did all he could to keep it hidden."_

"...That guy... I don't even know him, but I already find him annoying, somehow..." While holding his forehead in his hand, Yosuke shook his head.

Before anyone could respond to that, Souji's cry of "Persona!" rang through the entire room.

Then, hovering above him, manifested a long-haired blond man donned in a red metallic helmet and armour. His build was impressive and outstanding - his arms and legs were swelled up with trained muscles and sheer _power_ \- and yet his face carried no traces of senescence, neither were there any visible scars on the rest of his body. In his right hand was the hilt of a longsword, and over his shoulder was a simple metallic shield. Bangles of silver encircled the young man's wrists and the area directly below his kneecaps.

With one mighty swing of his sword, Siegfried unleashed a Vorpal Blade attack on the boulder, smashing it into tiny pieces of rock that scattered onto the ground. The swift destruction of the boulder revealed a hole that it had been concealing; a hole which had already been filled with a shimmering, golden Treasure Chest.

Under such circumstances, it was a good thing Souji always thought ahead. If they had been under somebody else's leadership, the team would probably not have thought of bringing Keys in advance. Stepping closer to the uncovered hole, they watched their leader take out a golden Key and slot it into the keyhole on the Treasure Chest. He quickly unlocked it and lifted the lid.

"Hm? What's this?" Souji mumbled, mostly to himself, as he reached into the depths of the Chest and picked up the item lying inside it. Gazing at it with mild curiosity, the silver-haired teen played around with it carefully. "It looks like a USB dr--oh."

"Whoa, careful there, partner." Yosuke instinctively jerked back when a sharp blade leapt upright from the capsule-shaped object in Souji's hand. "Huh... Is that a switchblade? What's that doing here?"

"Maybe it belongs to Orihara-san," Chie suggested. "I mean, none of us uses that in here, so it's not something for us to use, I guess?"

 _"...No, actually, it is!"_ Rise tried to bring everyone's attention to the full map of the current floor they were on. _"Look, the stairs appeared right after Senpai picked the knife up."_

The four of them scanned through the map, eyes travelling everywhere until they could spot a two-tone square in the middle of a room. They traced back their steps as far as they could remember. Yosuke was the first to point out, "Hang on... Isn't that the place where we started from?"

"Really? How can you tell?" Yukiko asked, appearing slightly surprised.

"Well, our starting points are always nearest to the bottom of the map, right?" Yosuke nearly raised his hand to indicate where the stairs were until he remembered that there was nothing tangible to point at. "See? Isn't that where the stairs are?"

"Huh... You're right," Chie noted. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, doesn't that mean we've been led on a wild goose chase all this while?"

"It seems so," Souji replied after a brief moment of silence that filled the room.

"...So lemme get this straight: first, the guy created the floor such that the stairs won't appear until someone finds the switchblade. Then, he threw us off by completely blocking Rise-chan out and making us wander around this place with no way of knowing where we were going. And now that we've found the switchblade, the stairs just _had_ to be in the room we started from? Which is like, _at the opposite end of where we are right now_?"

"Yeah, you got it," Yosuke answered, sounding as if he had just tasted something foul.

"Well that's just great." Chie sighed. "But then again, it's not like we have any other choice than to keep moving..."

"Right," said Yukiko encouragingly. Souji gave a nod to affirm his agreement. Yosuke and Chie, on the other hand, didn't seem so enthusiastic.

Under Rise's guidance, the four of them began making their detour back to the room they had started from. It would have been a relatively short trip there, if not for the Shadows which had reappeared along the corridors and in the rooms they had passed by before. But with Rise's help in identifying the weaknesses of the various Shadows right into battle, the team eliminated the Shadows much swifter than they did without, and eventually reached their starting point without much trouble.

To their amazement, what used to be simply a large, glowing pond in the heart of the cave-like room had turned into a scenic landscape. Little circles of light across a spectrum of colours floated in the air, dancing around a helical rainbow like fireflies. The crystals in the room were shimmering in an almost hypnotic fashion.

"Whoa..." Yosuke breathed, taking in the mesmerising sight.

"It's so beautiful..." Yukiko agreed, looking across the room.

"Yeah, I don't even know what to say except for 'wow'," said Chie, unable to peel her eyes away from the dazzling array of lights.

Souji seemed to share the same sentiment, having made no comments about the room or its sudden makeover and simply stood there with widened eyes. Then realisation dawned upon him. "I don't see any stairs around..."

"Huh?" Chie blinked the brightness away. "Hm...me neither. Unless that spiral thing is the staircase?"

"...But that's just a beam of rainbow light," Yosuke replied with a frown. "We can't walk on _light_ , Satonaka."

Chie looked affronted. "I know that! I'm not dumb, you know!" A pause. "Okay, maybe I am, but I'm not _that_ stupid. Unlike _somebody_ I happen to know whose last name starts with a 'Ha'."

"Oh c'mon, why is this about me all of a sudden? It's not like I actually said that out loud," the brunet shot back.

"Ohh, so you admit that you were thinking it, at least!"

"What the-- Stop putting words into my mouth! How would _you_ even know what I was thinking?"

"It was written all over your face, that's how!"

"Guys, this isn't--" Souji tried to interject, but his words were gone unheard.

"Oh, so Satonaka's some kind of face reader now? Yeah, you'd make a really good police officer with a skill like that. You'll drive your suspects nuts with your amazing interrogating skills and what not," Yosuke continued to provoke the young cadet. He was doing it so naturally that it was difficult to tell if he was deliberately pushing Chie's buttons just for the fun of it, but Yosuke would know better than to do anything that might earn him a hard kick to the groin. Which could only mean that he hadn't the intention to anger Chie at all since the very beginning, and that made Souji sad, somehow.

"Oh that does it!" The brunette's fingers curled into tight balls of fists. "You know what? I'll just prove it to you!"

For the first time since their heated argument started, Yosuke took a moment before he gave his reply, "...Uhh, about what?"

"The stairs, Hanamura. What else? Sheesh." Chie walked towards the spiral beam of light. "I'm gonna prove that this is the stairs. And when I do, you're gonna buy me steak. Lots of it. Are we clear about that?"

Yosuke grimaced at the mental image of his wallet being emptied to the point of getting ripped to shreds. "How 'bout we just forget about it and move on? In case you haven't noticed, we're still on the first damn floor." Souji and Yukiko visibly relaxed at that comment, relieved that, at the very least, Yosuke hadn't forgotten.

Chie grumbled, "Alright, alright, fine. But you're still buying me steak once we get outta here. Got it?"

The words "For what?" nearly escaped Yosuke's lips, but he held himself back, and sighed instead. "Whatever you say, ma'am," he promised, casually giving Chie a lazy wave of his hand as if he were trying to shoo her away.

With a huff, the brunette lifted her foot. She would've had instantly stepped onto the light if not for the fact that she wasn’t certain herself if she would fall through, and so slowly, but surely, Chie lowered her foot towards the starting point of the ray. As the tip of her boot met the light, it immediately responded by forming a solid, glowing platform for the sole of the boot to land on.

Remaining in that position, Chie whipped towards Yosuke, whose jaw had dropped, and flashed him a haughty smile. "Ha! You see, you see? I _told_ you we can walk on light!"

Inwardly, Yosuke wept.

***

**Crystal Fortress, 2F**

Climbing up the spiral staircase had led the team into a corridor, which had an identical appearance to the corridors of the first floor. The air in the second floor was slightly colder than it was in the first, so their late spring clothing still did little to keep them warm in the frigid dungeon.

Before Souji took off, he made sure that the mental link he shared with Rise was kept preserved, uninterrupted by any unusual interference, and then he looked over his shoulder to check if his teammates were behind him. Once he was certain that everything was in order, he requested a quick scan through the current floor, as well as the rest of the floors above, from his kouhai.

 _"Okay, let's see here..."_ The brunette tried to expand her searching radius temporarily, being particularly careful about exerting too much of Kanzeon's presence on the Shadows' territory. _"Hmm... Looks like it's still quite a long way ahead until we get to where Orihara-san is. This floor doesn't seem too bad, though. There aren't many Shadows or Treasure Chests around, but we still gotta be careful. Who knows what's going to happen next in a place like this?"_

"Yeah... We haven't even gone that far, but we've already encountered so many differences. We can't treat this like any of the other places we've been to," said Yukiko, her fan unfolded and ready to engage any Shadow that might appear without a moment's notice.

"After all that stuff we just went through, I'd say we're ready for anything," Chie added while routinely checking her boots.

 _"...Still, I can't say I'm not worried,_ " Rise admitted.

Souji briefly rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "About what?" he asked.

Rise seemed to be considering her words carefully. _"Well... If Orihara-san is subconsciously trying all he can to keep us out, then why did he - or his Shadow, more like - stop blocking me when you reached that room with the Chest? He could've continued blocking me, but it felt like he just...gave up, for some reason."_

"Maybe he just wanted to mess with us," Yosuke said. "Y'know, make us run around while he sits there and laugh at us like we're free entertainment?"

 _"...Maybe, but..._ " Rise paused. _"I don't know... I just don't think it's that simple. I kind of have a bad feeling about all this..."_

"We'll keep that in mind," said Souji before he sprinted off, his teammates following him.

And just as Rise had described, the rest of the floor was pretty straightforward and lacking in Shadows - a stark contrast to the hell they had experienced in the form of the fortress' first floor.

***

**Crystal Fortress, 3F**

The ascent to the third floor, however, was like entering through the gates of hell once again.

"What the _freakin'_ \--" Yosuke paused to sneeze and wrap his arms around his upper torso. Teeth chattering, he continued, "I-it's freezing in h-h-here! Th-this is s-s-so much w-w-worse than the second f-floor. I didn't e-even th-think that was p-possible."

"It's even w-worse than Inaba i-in w-w-winter." Chie pulled her sweater closer to her body, letting out a shaky "Brr".

"I... I can..." Exhaling sharply, Yukiko mentally called out to Amaterasu.

Almost immediately, the golden figure of the sun goddess manifested above the young manager of the Amagi Inn, her bare body perpetually bathed in an angelic halo of light that gave the four shivering adolescents the warmth that they were in dire need for.

"Whew," Chie breathed out, visibly relaxing. "Thanks, Yukiko. You're a lifesaver."

Souji, however, couldn't decide on whether to look grateful or concerned at the raven's decision. "Don't overdo it, Amagi," he said, trying to sound thankful at the same time.

Yukiko gave him an assuring smile. "It's fine, Seta-kun. As long as I'm not using any spells, it's actually not that tiring."

"You should still take a break after a while, though," Yosuke advised.

Yukiko nodded. "I'll do that, don't worry."

"And I'll be keeping an eye on her to make sure," Chie offered.

"That's good to hear," Yosuke replied with a wink. After a momentary pause, his face fell into a mildly serious expression. "Man, what’s with the drop in temperature all of a sudden? I mean, it's a really ridiculous drop. If not for Amagi, I think we'd literally freeze to death in here."

_"It must be because Orihara-san's Shadow is on this floor... I can sense him.”_

The four Persona-users immediately tensed at that. "Is he somewhere nearby?" Souji asked.

A few seconds passed before Rise answered, _"Yeah, he's in a room just up ahead. He's not with anybody else, though..."_

"I see," Souji muttered to himself. Then he spoke, in a louder voice, "Rise, can you guide Naoto and Kanji to this floor? We'll gather first before we continue."

 _"Got it. Just hang on for a while, it shouldn't take too long."_ And then the connection weakened.

As they waited, the four adolescents huddled closer together, basking in the warmth of Amaterasu's light. Staying clear from the staircase, they set their weapons down, and remained silent.

Not long after, Rise's voice reverberated in their heads, _"Okay Senpai, they're coming up now."_

The moment she ended, royal blue hair appeared from the rainbow stairs, and not long after, an emotionless Naoto came into view, followed by Kanji, who, unlike the young detective, was frowning. The atmosphere surrounding the pair was incredibly tense and awkward, more so than usual. Souji was tempted to ask if something had happened, but after taking Kanji and Naoto's personalities into consideration, he decided against it.

Unfortunately, Yosuke's curiosity got the better of him. "Huh? What's up with the both of you? You guys look like you've just had a lovers' spat or something."

"...Nothin'," Kanji gave a strained growl, as if he were trying but failing to reign in his anger.

Naoto, on the other hand, said nothing, her only response to Yosuke's innocent question being her expression darkening considerably. And somehow, seeing that was more terrifying than the prospect of Kanji losing his temper.

Yosuke, however, failed to pick up on that. "Oh, what's this? No denial? Ooh, that's a first. Something must've really happened between you two."

Kanji snapped, "Hey, could you shut it already? We ain't got time to be standing around like this!"

Yosuke raised both hands and took a step back in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, what's gotten into you? I was just curious, is all. Take a chill pill, Kanji."

"...Tch." The younger male turned away.

Throughout the entire exchange, Naoto had yet to speak up, and simply stood there while actively avoiding Kanji's line of vision. Kanji himself didn't seem to want to look at Naoto either.

Yosuke inched towards Souji and whispered in his ear, "Seriously, what's gotten into them? They're like, super pissed off for some reason."

 _"Naoto-kun tried to take on a bunch of Shadows all by herself again,"_ Rise answered before Souji could reply _. "So of course, Kanji dived in to help her, but...well, you know how Naoto-kun is."_

From the way Kanji and Naoto did not react to that, it seemed that Rise was projecting her voice only for Souji and Yosuke - and presumably Chie and Yukiko as well - to hear.

Chie resisted the urge to sigh. "What? This isn't the first time it's happened and they can still get that pissed with each other now? I mean, what are they, _kids_?" she spoke in a harsh whisper lest the children in question could hear her.

"Well, they _are_ younger than us..." Yosuke jokingly pointed out.

Chie scoffed. "Like you're any better."

"Wha--hey! Why are you always trying to involve me in everything?"

At the sudden outburst, Naoto gave Yosuke a sideway glance, still looking as ill-humoured as before. "What is it, Hanamura-senpai?"

"Oh thanks a lot, Satonaka," the brunet muttered under his breath. "Uh, it's nothing, Naoto. Just complaining about the cold. It's getting to me."

The detective didn't look entirely convinced at that answer, but she accepted it in spite of that. "Yes, it does seem to be much colder in this particular floor," she said without as much as a stutter, buttoning up her trench coat. "Well, in any case, we should move forward. Abnormalities of the surroundings should not be a deterrence to us."

"Right," Souji agreed, which, under such circumstances, meant that the previous topic was closed until the team fulfilled their real purpose in coming to the TV world. "Orihara-san's Shadow is nearby. Be on your guard."

The others nodded, gathering behind their leader. When he saw that his teammates were ready, Souji faced the front and then he ran forward, not stopping until the familiar gates appeared. Just as he placed his hand on the handle of the crystalline knife which acted as the lever controlling the gate's movement, Rise gave the team another warning, _"There's a really strong Shadow in here... We don't know if he's hostile, considering all that has happened so far, so don't do anything reckless, guys."_

"We won't," Souji affirmed.

_"Teddie and I are coming over now. Stay clear, okay?"_

Before anyone could respond, a burst of light suddenly appeared behind the group. It quickly died away, revealing the young teen idol and former Shadow standing in front of the angelic figure of Kanzeon, who faded away at Rise's dismissal.

"Sorry for the wait," Rise said.

"We're bear-ry sorry for the wait," Teddie echoed, his tiny feet squeaking as he waddled over to the rest of the team.

Yosuke stared at the pair blankly before he turned to Souji with an unenthused expression. "Remind me again why we can't just use the Rise Express Train to zip past everything and save us the time and trouble?"

"I'm right here, you know," Rise replied, not at all pleased that she had been reduced to the level of a vehicle even though she knew it wasn’t intentional. "As for your question, I can't go to a place I've never seen before, remember? Even if that’s possible, I'm only able to when somebody else I'm linked with is there. Besides, I can't teleport all of you at the same time. It's difficult enough on my own."

"...Ahh, right. Now that you mention it, I do kinda remember you saying something like that... My bad, I shouldn't have asked that at a time like this. Let's move on."

"Alright," Souji replied, and then he gave the handle a gentle push.

The moment the gates gave way completely, the Investigation Team rushed in. They were greeted by the back of a familiar hooded figure standing atop a platform of ice in the middle of an enormous pond, the largest they had seen since the start of their hike. The room was vaster than any other room they had been through thus far, with crystals lining every edge of the walls. The potato sacks and crates, however, were absent; in their place, supposedly, were massive blocks of ice that gave off a shine not distinct from the crystals surrounding them.

The thick mist in the area snaked around the figure as he spun to meet his guests.

"Ohh?" the hooded man cooed into the cordless microphone in his hand, his voice horribly dissonant and distorted. White puffs of air escaped his lips whenever he breathed or spoke. "Oh my, oh my, to think that someone actually came after me. And not just one or two, but _eight_ of you, at that. What a big group we have here today! How absolutely delightful!"

He twirled and twirled about on his feet, causing the platform beneath him to shake and spill water onto the nearby dry land. With his hood covering the upper half of his face, seeing the Shadow's glowing, golden eyes gleam and shine through the darkness, coupled with a wide smile against deathly pale skin and a thin body emitting tendrils of violet smoke, was exceptionally disturbing.

"I must say, I am so very curious as to why so many of you decided to come," the Shadow continued to say as he came to a stop. "But unfortunately, I have a programme to run and it's not very nice to interrupt it when I have so many viewers tuning in right now. I'm on a tight schedule and my audience doesn't have all day. Ne?"

As if on cue, the low, displeased murmurs of the Shadows gathered in the fortress spilled over into the room. Instinctively, the eight Persona-users fell into their fighting stances while keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

"Th-the Shadows are getting really agitated," said Teddie. "It's sending chills down my fur."

"I nearly forgot how creepy this was..." Chie mumbled to herself.

"At least nobody's laughing like last time," Yosuke, having heard that, replied just as quietly.

With a giggle, the Shadow borrowing Izaya's form and voice carried on, almost as though he were ignoring any comments the adolescents had made, "Well then, without further ado, let's venture further and see if we can find any hidden treasures stowed away in this beautiful place! What do you say to that, my dear viewers?"

Simultaneously, high-pitched squeals and thundering cheers roared through the entire area, nearly causing Yosuke, Chie, Rise and Teddie to jump back. The others resisted flinching.

"...You just _had_ to say it, Hanamura," Chie groaned. "Like this isn't a thousand times worse than the laughing, really."

Before Yosuke had time to react to that, the hooded Shadow brought his free hand to his chest in an exaggerated fashion. "Wow! What a _heated_ response for humble, little me! It's making my heart throb like crazy~!" He chuckled suggestively. "In that case, maybe I ought to speed things up a bit. After all, our special guest for the night is simply _dying_ to meet all of you, too."

The Shadow spun till his back faced the Investigation Team. "Well then, off we go~!" he exclaimed, doing a strange sort of skip off the platform and into the thick cloud of mist, disappearing into the distance.

"...Well, that was strange, to say the least," Yosuke said, some time after the hooded figure had left.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. As melodramatic as that Shadow is, he didn't exactly reveal anything about what Orihara-san has been trying to hide about himself. It's like...he's inviting us in yet still closing himself off at the same time," Rise replied, sounding rather unsettled.

Yukiko had an equally uneasy look on her face. "And what do you think the Shadow meant by 'speeding things up' or 'our special guest for the night'? Doesn't it seem a little strange that he hasn't mentioned anything about a guest until just now?"

Naoto folded her arms, resting her chin on her finger. "Unless..." she murmured, trailing off into a sudden pause as her eyes widened.

"Wh-what is it, Nao-chan?" Teddie asked in a squeak.

Without any further explanation, Naoto took off, wasting no time in leaping across the large body of water using the slippery platform and chasing after the now unseen Shadow.

"O-oi! Naoto! What the hell're you doin'?!" Kanji yelled after her, before breaking into a run to catch up to the detective despite his friends' attempts to stop him. As he went further and further in, his call of "Wait up! Naoto!" faded as quickly as his body did into the dense, icy fog.

"Crap, Souji, we have to go after them!" Yosuke shouted, almost ready to chase after his Yasogami juniors in blind panic.

"Yosuke, calm down. We don't know what's up ahead."

"But isn't that _exactly_ why we have to go stop them?!"

Souji shook his head. "If we end up getting lost ourselves, then we won’t be able to help them, right?"

The brunet opened his mouth to reply, but found himself at a loss for what to say, and promptly closed his mouth shut.

Souji's expression flickered to that of a concerned look before it was gone as swiftly as it came. He turned to face his remaining kouhai. "Rise, can you tell what's up ahead?"

The idol frowned slightly. "Hmm... Not really... But with Naoto-kun and Kanji in there now, it kinda feels like the floor's expanding a little. And the Shadows seem to be a lot tougher from here on out."

"As expected..." the leader of the Investigation Team said. "Thanks, Rise. We'll continue as planned."

"Got it, Senpai. Just…be careful, okay?" As Rise summoned her Persona, she waved for her Teddie to come to her side. "C'mon Teddie, we're going back."

"Right-o!" Teddie responded quickly. "I'll do my bear-y best to keep my nose out for Kanji and Nao-chan, so go forth without any worry, Sensei!"

Souji smiled. "Thank you, Teddie," he replied. "We'll see you soon."


	18. Crystal Fortress III

**April 19, 2013**

**Crystal Fortress, 3F**

"You're an _idiot_ , ya know that? Runnin' off on your own like that... Just what the hell were you thinking?!"

Naoto's brows furrowed, her lips pulled into a half-pout, half-frown which looked like a serious attempt at restraining herself from doing something she considered childish. But with the way Tatsumi was, it proved to be quite the challenge.

"...I beg your pardon?" she asked, trying hard not to sound almost out of breath. Even as trails of perspiration trickled down her temples, the detective made no move and simply remained as still as she could, giving Kanji the strictest glower she could muster.

Kanji, in turn, snapped back, "Hey, you're the one who thought rammin' straight into a Shadow was a great idea. If I hadn't been there you'd be--" He stopped himself, now glaring at Naoto in sudden silence. Then, with a "Tch", he shook his head and turned away, allowing his back to glare at the detective in place of him.

The displeased expression painted on Naoto's face threatened to darken even further, but eventually, she didn't allow herself to in spite of the fact that her companion's back clearly lacked the visual organs necessary to observe her every move. Still, Naoto couldn't stop herself from clenching her fists slightly, her eyes narrowing and burning holes through Kanji's back.

Just as her lips parted ways for more words to spill over, Naoto immediately took a sharp breath instead. _'Breathe,'_ she told herself, forcing a sigh that was as quiet as possible as her mouth closed shut. _'No more tantrums, Shirogane. This is not the time to lose your temper. You can't afford to.'_

After all, wasn't that why they were here in the first place? Why they were fighting so hard to reach the final floor?

It was partly why she had done what she did, anyway. But Naoto would not deny that it was overly rash of her to do so, and neither would she turn blind to the fact that she had not taken into account the possibility of running into hostile Shadows in her seemingly irrational haste. That did not, however, mean that she was incapable of eliminating the Shadows on her own.

Naoto closed her eyes, and inhaled. Exhaled. Breathed. It wasn't the time.

"...We shouldn't remain here for too long," the detective spoke, breaking the silence. "We must be--"

"No," Kanji said firmly, turning back and giving Naoto an unusually stern look.

This time, Naoto did not hide her incredulousness. "What... What are you saying, Tatsumi-kun? If we don't hurry--"

Kanji himself seemed surprised at his own words, but he didn't let it stop him. "No," he repeated. "You've been acting weird all day, Naoto, and none of us knows why. I've been wanting to ask you about it, but I figured the case takes priority so I thought I'd leave it till later. But the longer we're here, the weirder you get, and it's...it's driving me crazy, alright?" Red tinted Kanji's cheeks. "S-so I decided: heck it, man. I need to know _now_ , 'cuz I ain't about to let you run off and bump into Shadows on your own till I know the damn reason why. Or at least hear you promise - and _mean it_ \- to explain once all this is over."

Naoto stared at Kanji wide-eyed, rendered speechless by his words.

While it was certainly not the first time the taller male had taken her completely by surprise, it was, undoubtedly, the first time he had actually spoken his mind and argued with her in that manner. Not that it was an unwelcome change - in fact, Naoto was glad that Tatsumi was willing to be more honest and direct with her now - but it had happened so suddenly Naoto hadn't the faintest clue as to how she should react.

So instead, the detective decided to redirect her attention to what exactly Tatsumi-kun had said, and then she found herself at an even greater loss. _'..."Acting weird", I see.'_ Naoto lowered her head, unable to look at Kanji in the eye any longer.

He had seen through her. Despite all her efforts to keep her emotions hidden, Tatsumi had still managed to see through her. It made Naoto ashamed and angry, but she had become so accustomed to suppressing her feelings in front of other people that even in front of her male companion who could read her like a book, Naoto still tried to forcefully exercise control over those emotions.

She knew it was naive to think that nobody would have realised it - after all, there was no escaping Seta-senpai's notice - but for someone like Tatsumi, a member of the team Naoto felt most distant from, to have seen through her... It was, simply put, beyond her expectations of him.

Perhaps, then, that was the reason why Seta-senpai had decided to assign her to Tatsumi-kun on the backup team. Senpai had, most probably, predicted that Tatsumi-kun would eventually call Naoto out on her strange behaviour over the course of their exploration through the fortress; something that Senpai felt Tatsumi-kun was most suitable for.

 _'I certainly see why now,'_ Naoto mused, carrying a faint smile on her face.

"I understand, Tatsumi-kun," she finally replied, raising her head to meet Kanji's questioning gaze. "I will tell you what you wish to know."

Kanji blinked, his cheeks growing rosier by the second. "H-huh? W-wait, i-if...if you're uncomfortable with it, th-then you don't..."

Naoto cut him off by shaking her head. "No, there is no point in continuing on if one is doubtful of the other, especially if such doubts are in any way related to the case at hand." It was rather amusing, she had to admit, and ironic that she was now the one trying to convince Kanji that an explanation from her was necessary, when Kanji had been so firm and rooted in that just not too long ago. "I have been...distracted, and in my distraction, I put you in danger. I-I'm sorry, and also...thank you. You, of all people, deserve to know the reason behind my...unbecoming behaviour."

It was a struggle to make that confession, but Naoto was grateful for the opportunity to see it through. Admitting mistakes had never been easy for her, and thanking someone for making her realise her own faults was even less so, but if it meant mending her ties with Tatsumi-kun, then Naoto would boldly take that step.

Unaware of all the thoughts flashing through Naoto's mind, Kanji gave a stiff and hesitant nod. "If...if you say so," he said, sounding pleased and uncertain at the same time. "So...what happened? Why did you just run off like that?"

Naoto's eyes softened as she raised her hand, making a motion to lower her cap which used to rest comfortably on top of her head until she realised her error and let her arm fall to her side. "Before I go into that, I would like to take this opportunity to...amend something I have said to you and Amagi-senpai. Concerning the nature of my relationship with Orihara Izaya-san."

Kanji fought the urge to probe her, and instead gave Rise a mental note to cut off the connection. "Go on," he said once he felt the brunette comply.

 _'Thank you,'_ Naoto wanted to say, but couldn't for some reason, and she hoped her eyes could convey her gratitude to Kanji. "The truth is..." she started. "Two years ago, when I was still investigating the case about 'Nakura' and the suicide groups, after the police declared it closed...I had signed up as a member of one the groups in order to get close to 'Nakura'-san. And after weeks of online communication with him, he initiated the suggestion for us to meet and "carry out the deed". I knew, then, that it was my chance.

"That was when I met the man who posed as the kind and understanding gentleman Nakura-san...who also happened to be the very same man my grandfather has always been in contact with the past few years." Naoto closed her eyes. "That man...is Orihara Izaya-san."

***

_"Hello there. You seem lonely, being all by yourself in a place like this. Why don't we chat for a while?"_

_"What a treat it is to see you here. Does that mean you want to disappear from this world, too?"_

_"...Well, what a coincidence. So do I. It's nice to meet you."_

_"My name is..."_

***

**Crystal Fortress, 4F**

"Kanji-kun... Naoto-kun... I hope they're alright."

Tilting his head back briefly, Yosuke's frown deepened. "Same here, Amagi," he told the raven-haired girl, unable to concentrate on the faint tune of the song playing in his headphones.

After Rise and Teddie had returned to the entrance of the fortress, Souji and his remaining teammates charged on forward in search of their friends who had gone before them. Eventually they managed to find the stairs instead, but nobody felt right about leaving Kanji and Naoto behind like that without spending more time looking, so they turned back and continued searching. However, making that decision meant encountering more Shadows, and encountering more Shadows meant a higher chance of expending their energy or getting injured, and unfortunately, they happened to cross paths with a crimson Shadow in the midst of their search.

It had caught them unawares, and the moment it divided into four massive, wingless six-legged creatures with tube-like mouth parts that were capable of sucking them dry Souji knew that it wasn't possible to stay there any longer. By the time Rise found an opening to transport them straight to the stairs, the four Persona-users were already barely able to move on their own. If it wasn't for the readily available supply of energy-replenishing items at their disposal, Souji might've had been forced to call the entire mission off.

Yosuke didn't know what was more terrifying: the fact that such Shadows existed, or the possibility that his juniors had yet to leave the third floor where those Shadows were still roaming about, itching for blood.

 _"Don't worry, Senpais,"_ Rise said reassuringly, as if she had read Yosuke's mind. _"They're currently in a room far away from those creepy crawlies and recovering their strength. It doesn't look like they'll be moving anytime soon, and the red Shadow isn't going anywhere near them, too, so there isn't much to worry about for now. When they're ready to go, I'll make sure to inform you."_

Souji nodded. "I'm counting on you, Rise."

Seemingly distracted, Chie rubbed the torn part of her right sleeve that was revealing skin where a red patch was growing. "Still, what the heck was up with those Shadows? They totally freaked me out! Wh-what with their long, hairy legs a-and..." Unable to complete that sentence, the brunette shuddered.

"Really? I thought they looked pretty adorable," Yukiko replied with a smile.

Chie blanched at that. "Seriously, Yukiko? They practically latched onto us, stuck their mouth parts into our skin and drained almost everything, and you still find them _cute_?"

"Well, yes. Why? Is that strange?"

"...When you say 'Yes' so readily to a question like that, I really have to wonder..."

Fiddling with the cord of his headphones innocently while the girls were talking amongst themselves, Yosuke inched closer towards Souji and said to him in a quiet voice, "I gotta admit, Amagi really never fails to surprise me. In a good way, I mean."

Souji couldn't help but chuckle at that.

***

" _I'll tell you what you are."_

_"You're kind of on the bad side, but you are not completely evil. Yet there's not a single ounce of goodness in you, either."_

_"Hmm, how should I put it… If I were to try to sum you up in one sentence - it would be something like ‘You make me want to throw up.’"_

_"And that was a compliment, you know."_

_Laughter echoed through the floor. Laughter that didn't belong to the man who had just given his compliment, but another man who accepted said compliment chirpily and amusedly._

_"I wouldn't have it any other way, Shinra."_

_"To see my lovely humans throw up their true nature in front of me..."_

_"Why, there's nothing more satisfying to me than that."_

***

**Crystal Fortress, 6F**

Like the floor directly before it, the surroundings of the sixth seemed to have grown colder than the fifth. Nothing as biting as the unbelievably frigid temperature on the third floor, but enough to cause the four teenagers to shiver the moment they completed their ascent of the stairs.

After being accustomed to the supposedly negative degrees that the third floor had to offer, however, there was no real way of knowing if the change was simply a trick their minds were playing on themselves.

And hearing the voice, or voices, that accompanied the fourth and fifth floors would have been the last thing they needed in this situation if it wasn't for the exceptionally hardy Shadows that gathered in the fortress.

 _"...Y'know, maybe you guys should take a break,"_ Rise suggested - for possibly the third time since their narrow escape - as she watched her high school seniors struggle to keep themselves on their feet after finishing off a group of Raven and Magus Shadows.

"A break?" Yosuke chuckled dryly as he bent over and panted. "What does that word mean again?"

Rise sighed in exasperation. _"Senpais, I know we can't afford to mess around, but pushing yourselves like this isn't helping anyone. At this rate you're going to collapse for real, and if that happens, who's going to save Orihara-san? Naoto-kun and Kanji are just as worn out as you are."_

"...Alright," Souji replied, lowering his katana. "We'll take a short break."

"Oh, finally," Yosuke breathed. He tried to convey the euphoria he felt the moment Souji agreed to give everyone time to rest, but his body fell to the cold yet comfortable ground so swiftly that his reply sounded airy.

Giving out sighs of relief, Chie and Yukiko joined him on the ground. Despite the low temperature, the two of them fanned themselves and wiped their sleeves across their foreheads as they sat on the ground of the rock-tiled corridor.

When the four of them had fully enjoyed their hard-earned break and were ready to move on, Souji mentally nudged the connection he had with Rise, and asked, "Rise. Rise, are you there?"

His question was met with silence.

It sent the alarm bells in Souji's mind ringing. At the first chime, he immediately made another attempt to communicate with the idol, only to have no response whatsoever. All he could hear was the melody of the strings and the hum of the crystals; the song that conveyed the dangerous yet comforting nature of the fortress, a sense of urgency yet serenity. But even that had become a strain to hear.

Was Orihara-san shutting his heart off again, now that they had come this far? What could this gesture mean - stopping and then letting them advance further, and then stopping them again? Was it just Orihara-san's way of entertaining himself like what Yosuke said, or...?

"...Something isn't right," Souji said. "I think we should return to the entrance. There may be something lying ahead and I don't want us to face it ill-prepared."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Yosuke replied. "Besides, we should check up on Teds and Rise, too. I don't want them getting worried over nothing."

Chie and Yukiko recalled what had happened back on the first floor and quickly agreed with him.

When he saw that they had arrived at a consensus, Souji unzipped his waist pouch and picked up the first Goho-M he saw. As he tossed it into the air and waited for the teleporting device to take effect, however, the usual halo of light did not appear. On the contrary, the item simply made a few spins in the air, and then it fell to the ground, intact.

Confounded by this, Souji knelt down and picked the Goho-M back up before throwing it into the air once more, only to be met by the same disappointing and unprecedented result.

"...Hang on, I'll see if the alternative works," Souji told his friends, who were just as confused as he at the sight, and then closed his eyes to visualise the Personas that he had summoned prior to this rescue effort.

He didn't recall summoning many Personas, though, and so as he mentally flipped through the cards in his possession, the likelihood of finding one with Traesto fell drastically. When it was confirmed that none of the Personas he had at hand could perform the spell, Souji gave a reluctant sigh. He opened his eyes and shook his head apologetically, keeping his head slightly low.

"It's okay, partner. We can keep going. We're ready for anything, remember?" Yosuke said reassuringly. Chie and Yukiko nodded.

Souji said nothing, and instead flashed his teammates a grateful smile. With no other option but to move forward, he led the team down the corridor. It was void of any Shadows and stretched outwards in a straight fashion, and in spite of the lit torches lining the walls, the path that lied beyond him and his teammates was clothed in a blanket of darkness that gradually lifted as they progressed. The sound of their hurried footsteps bounced off the walls, dissolving into echoes that scattered in the surrounding air.

They came to a stop once they caught sight of a peculiar gate. It was not coated with gold like the others they had come across, and was instead kept bare and raw with a thick layer of rust - though the possibility of it being blood as well was not ignored, considering the chains they had seen on the first floor - clinging onto the metal. There were no knives with crystalline blades pinned to the wall surrounding the old gate, leaving the gate unframed. In the place of the knife that usually acted as the lever controlling the gate's movement was a keyhole shaped like a sharply slim oval, reminiscent of a cat's pupil under bright light.

"Hey, this keyhole..." Yosuke said. "Doesn't it look like...?"

Souji didn't reply. Without a moment to waste, he reached into his pocket and dug out the switchblade buried in the sea of coins. He released the switch and waited for the blade to extend out fully before he carefully inserted it into the keyhole with a click.

"Whoa, it's a perfect fit," Chie remarked. "Whaddya know, it _did_ have a use after all."

"But doesn't this seem a little...suspicious? It's too much of a coincidence to be just that..." Yukiko pointed out.

Chie took a brief moment to consider this. "We don't exactly have much of a choice, though. I mean, there's no real way of knowing other than going in, right?"

Yukiko sighed. "Well, that's true... And we can't exactly turn back, either."

"Right." Yosuke turned to face Souji. "You have the honours, partner."

The others gave Souji a firm nod, indicative of their determination, and he nodded back. He then gave the small pocket knife a hard twist to the right, hearing it unlock the gate. As predicted, the gate rose in response, allowing the four Persona-users to enter.

To their mild surprise, the room didn't look any much different from the others they had passed through. The black pond was still in the centre of the room; small fields of crystals were still scattered around the area, and the crates and potato sacks were still present, lined along the walls of the room neatly.

"...No Shadows around either." Yukiko looked around before she casted her eyes downward. "Was I reading too much into it?"

"Don't look so down, Yukiko. There's nothing wrong with thinking ahead," Chie replied, grinning. "C'mon, let's keep--"

The gate suddenly fell back to the ground with a deafening boom.

The four of them instantly covered their ears, Yosuke accidentally dropping his kunai in the process when they knocked into his headphones. As soon as the last of the sound's echoes died away, the brunet bent down to pick up his kunai, muttering shakily, "What... What the hell was that?"

"I-it just closed...just like that." Yukiko stared after the gate in an almost dazed manner.

"B-but why?" Chie asked. "The other gates didn't do that, so why did this...?"

"Let's... Let's just open the other one and keep going," Yosuke suggested, hurriedly making his way to the golden gate. He tried to turn the handle, but it did not budge. "Eh? It doesn’t open…? Why--"

His question was answered by a low, familiar chuckle.

_"When I look at it like this..."_

Eyes widening, the four Persona-users raised their heads to the ceiling.

_"...I succumb to the illusion that I'm a god, and that feels pretty good, you know?"_

"A...'god'?" Yukiko echoed. "Like…Izanami and the other fog monsters we saw?"

"So he really _does_ have control over this place. And we've been treated like his pawns right from the start," Yosuke said, his face wearing a borderline scowl. "I get it now. He deliberately let us find the key to this room, didn't do anything to stop us after that, and then gave us the chance to open the gate - all for leading us here so that he could lock us up."

Chie gasped. "That's gotta be why we can't use our Goho-Ms on this floor. He meant to trap us in here all along!"

Yukiko lowered her gaze. “And if it really is like what Seta-kun said, then…Orihara-san is…”

Yosuke clicked his tongue. "Dammit... If this keeps up, we won't be able to make it...!"

"Guys, we have to stay calm," Souji said. "Panicking won't help.”

Yosuke groaned. “I know, partner, I _know_ , but we’ve already wasted so much time and--”

“Yosuke, listen to me. I understand how you feel, but being too caught up with our own emotions will only impede our progress.” He paused, as if anticipating a verbal response from Yosuke, or any of his teammates for that matter. When nobody replied, Souji continued, “Let’s all try to remain calm. Then we’ll work on finding a way to get out of this room. Alright?”

At his words, the others took deep breaths. When it looked like they had regained their composure, they raised their heads and made eye contact with their leader, giving their agreements.

But just as the words left their lips--

_"Kami-sama Attack!"_

\--the crates and sacks around the four of them burst into flames, engulfing them in a world of red, orange, and pain before everything faded to black.

***

**Crystal Fortress, Entrance**

"Senpai... Senpai...! Senpai, please, answer me! Senpai!"

Standing in the middle of a brewing blizzard with her hands cupped around her mouth was a young brown-haired girl, frantically calling out over the harsh winds for her seniors to respond. Her desperate cries, however, were only met with the ominous whistling of the wind that enveloped her body, seeping through her skin and creeping into her bones.

Rise wrapped around herself, gripping each side of her arms tightly. But she felt nothing. Even as she panted, with every breath delivering a slither of the cold wind into her lungs, the brunette felt nothing. The only signs of life that she had were her heart beating like a sledgehammer as panic raged through her entire body, and the yells that erupted from her vocal chords endlessly.

When her knees buckled and slammed into the snow, Rise took no notice of it. Her body no longer felt like her own, neither could she tell if the voice that sounded like hers calling out the names of her friends was coming from her lips or the echoes of her mind.

She couldn't even hear Kanzeon anymore.

"Sen...pai..."

The brunette gasped, clutching her chest.

"Every...one..."

Her vision began to spin.

"Don't..."

_'Don't leave me...'_

The last thing she heard before being pulled to a world of darkness was somebody calling her name.

Then she fell to the ground, unmoving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The lines from Shinra ("I'll tell you what you are" until "And that was a compliment, you know") are from anni-fiesta's translations of Volume 5 of the novels.


	19. Crystal Fortress IV

**April 19, 2013**

**Crystal Fortress, 6F**

When Souji opened his eyes which he hadn't realised he had closed, he found himself awakening to a body that was unusually lethargic and aching all over. Trying to lift even a finger sent jolts of pain to the rest of his damaged body, forcing the grey-haired adolescent to remain on the simmering soil, almost completely immobile.

His vision was tainted red and orange, with bright sparks dancing before him mesmerisingly. Everywhere his eyes turned to look, all Souji could see was the same scenery - the slithering flames; the walls painted red; the crystals’ vibrancy drowned by the fire. Toxic fumes filled his nostrils with every breath he took as the crackling of fire whispered sweet nothings into his ears and the heat of the fire swept over his skin.

"Yo--" Souji tried to speak, but ended up breaking into a coughing fit when the soot-filled air clogged his throat. His body protested violently against the strain on his lungs, but Souji could do nothing but wait. The pain only kept escalating.

Various thoughts raced through Souji's mind despite the pain clouding his senses. He thought about why he woke up only to find his clothes tattered and his body littered with bruises; about why the flames surrounded and never touched him. He thought about the fire burning around and from within him; about the heat, the smoke, the taste of metal and soot at the back of his mouth.

But above all Souji thought about his friends. Where they might be, how they were faring.

As the itch in his throat numbed, the intensity of Souji's coughs died down, and his breathing slowly eased. Pushing all his worries to the back of his mind, Souji focused on the cards, sifting through them to find the one he had been looking for. It materialised at his mental command, rotating slowly as it drifted closer to him. Souji struggled to raise and stretch his right arm towards it until he felt his fingers brush against the smooth edge of the card.

"No...rn..."

The card burst into a brilliant display of light.

Immediately after that, the joined golden figures of the goddesses of fate appeared before him in unison, their wings fully spread out as they hovered above the grey-haired adolescent. The hands of the clock in their possession began to spin. Once they stopped, which was always at the time of four - the same number which, when spoken, sounded like the word "death" - a translucent glow encased Souji's body, healing the wounds that had marked him.

When the glow and Persona faded away, they brought along with them the cuts, bruises, and even the soreness of the wound on his back. Souji found himself breathing normally again, without having to experience the stinging ache in his chest with every breath, and quickly pushed himself back on his feet. He ripped off a torn part of his left sleeve and covered his nose and mouth with it before he tried calling another Persona again.

After crushing the card in his hand, a lone woman, kneeling in the air and dressed in a plate of chest armour and undergarment that covered little of her ghostly pale skin, manifested above him. The base of the large, black hat on her head had four long, sharp edges, giving the appearance of a four-pointed star, and from the left and right sides of this strange hat base was a thick, black veil that stretched far beyond the upper half of her body. A simple, but cryptic, illustration of a rose and its thorns was painted on the left cheek of the white porcelain mask on her face.

Scathach readily held her right hand upright, in a pose that was identical to those of people capable of casting spells or muttering curses, and then a wave of ice swept across the room. Souji was careful in guiding the direction of the Mabufudyne spell, making sure that only the raging fire was targeted.

Once the flames disappeared, hissing as they did so, Souji dismissed Scathach with a wave of his hand and, after tossing away the cloth, sprinted towards the first person he saw. "Amagi," he said, kneeling in front of her. "Amagi, are you okay?"

He heard her groan softly before she raised her head from the ground, her unfocused gaze meeting Souji's eyes. "Seta-kun...?"

"It's me," Souji was quick to reply. "How are you feeling?"

Still in a daze, Yukiko lifted herself from the ground until she was kneeling on it; a natural habit of hers after having been raised in an environment rich in tradition. Souji took a swift glance at the condition she was in, and was glad to see that, aside from the dirt, a few bruises and some superficial scratches, Yukiko seemed to be alright.

"I'm fine...I think," she said, looking over herself as well. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Chie.... Where's Chie?" Before Souji could reply, Yukiko started looking around frantically. She let out a quiet gasp when her eyes fell on the fallen figure of her friend not far away from her.

Ignoring any pain she might've had been feeling, Yukiko ran over to Chie, with Souji following her, and shook her childhood friend gently. "Chie... Chie, wake up," Yukiko repeated a few times when Chie didn't respond. Her voice was nearly cracking, especially at the sight of the burn holes through Chie's jacket and spots of dried blood on Chie's legs.

It was only when Souji and Yukiko saw Chie's hands clench into fists that Yukiko stopped. They waited as the brunette slowly regained consciousness. With a quiet moan she turned her head until they could see her whole face, which was covered in grime. When she fully registered who she was seeing, Chie instantly pushed herself off the ground, though not without wincing, and looked over Yukiko worriedly.

"Yukiko! Oh, Yukiko, are you alright? You're not hurt anywhere?"

Yukiko couldn't help but bite her lower lip, fighting the tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes. "Chie, you..." She paused, biting her lip again. "You...were the one who protected me from the explosion, but now you're worrying about me instead of yourself. I... I don't know what I should..."

Chie flashed her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Yukiko. See? I'm okay, nothing major on me or anything. Something like that isn't going to kill me, right?"

At a complete loss for words, Yukiko gave out a shaky breath, one that was usually indicative of somebody close to crying, and then pulled her friend into a tight embrace.

Feeling like he was invading on a private moment, Souji left the girls to themselves and began looking around the now frost-covered room for any sign of his best friend. He took slow and small steps as he searched. When he found himself walking towards the other gate in the room and saw a familiar tuft of brown hair near it, a smile of relief found its way to his face.

"Yosuke." Souji knelt beside his friend, shaking him lightly; it was almost like the mirror image of Yukiko and Chie just a while ago. "Yosuke, can you hear me? Yosuke."

When Yosuke gave no response, Souji carefully turned him over until he could see Yosuke's face. It was slightly pale and his lips looked dry, which Souji initially attributed to the heat, but when he checked Yosuke's lower eyelids and pulse, his mind could only jump to a single conclusion. As calmly as he could muster, Souji proceeded to look over his friend's body, but found nothing out of the ordinary other than small cuts and bruises.

"...Souji?"

Souji immediately turned his head in the direction of Yosuke's murmur. "You're awake," he stated as he helped Yosuke sit up. "How are you feeling?"

Yosuke frowned, and held his head in his hand. "'m fine. A little lightheaded, though. Just...gimme a sec or two. It'll clear up."

Souji promptly unzipped his waist pouch and took out a bottle of water. He handed it to his best friend, who accepted it and gulped the water down dizzily. When he had quenched his thirst, Yosuke gave a long sigh. "Thanks, partner. That sure did the trick. Must've been the heat or something."

Souji's eyes narrowed slightly. "It wasn't the heat."

"...Huh?"

The silver-haired adolescent stood up and sent a stern look towards the ceiling. "Where is it?" he asked, his voice lacking any traces of emotion.

"S...Seta-kun?" Yukiko whispered.

_"Oh, looks like you figured it out. How boring. I was hoping you'd struggle a bit more, but you're pretty sharp, surprisingly."_

The voice that abruptly resonated throughout the room sounded anything but bored, however. In fact, it spoke those words with a sort of morbid fascination that would send chills down anybody's spine.

Souji, however, was not shaken by it. "The Shadow that we met three floors back... The type that drained our energy - it's here on this floor too, isn't it."

The others' eyes widened.

The voice laughed. _"Aww, why such a hostile reaction? It's not like my dear viewers tried to kill you, after all. Just take it that you've done a bit of charity for them. Like participating in a blood donation drive. That changes how you see things now, doesn't it?"_

Souji did not reply.

 _"I thought not,”_ the Shadow said, sounding like he was smirking. _"Well, if you really want to know...how about playing a little game with me? Nothing harmful, of course. Just plain, simple entertainment for all of us. How does that sound?"_

"I'm not interested."

_"Oh come now, don't be such a killjoy. Viewership has been dropping ever since you and your friends came here, you know. I'm just trying to boost the ratings by giving my viewers something worthwhile to see, that's all. I'll even reward you if you win. You can take it as me seeking some compensation from you. I take it as a convenient arrangement that benefits all of us."_

"And if we lose? Then what?" Chie retorted.

Souji could imagine the Shadow's eyes glinting in delight when he replied with a question of his own, _"Well...that goes without saying, doesn't it?"_

The atmosphere grew tense with suspicion and contemplation until Yosuke shook his head, which, he soon realised, was a mistake when the room started to spin. "Forget it. We're not playing any game of yours. Come on, guys, let's just ignore what the Shadow said."

Chie was the first to agree with him. Souji and Yukiko, on the other hand, took a brief moment to consider their current situation before they nodded, agreeing with Yosuke's suggestion as well.

The Shadow did not seem at all offended or upset at the team's decision. Instead, he replied chirpily, _"If you insist~ Just remember, my offer's always up for the taking."_ And then he was gone, leaving his last message to them in the form of an echo ringing in their ears.

Seemingly unaffected, Souji returned to the spot he was lying down on and picked up his katana. Then, without wasting another moment, he ran back to the gold-plated gate and turned the handle of the knife nearest to it.

As the gate slowly lifted, spurts of fire nearly burned his face before retreating, like waves of an ocean sweeping one's feet. Souji stretched out his right hand, ready to summon Scathach once more, but to his surprise Chie leapt in front of him and beat him to the chase, with Suzuka Gongen trailing after her. The female warrior spun her double-edged lightsabre as she floated past the flames, diminishing them with her Mabufu spells. Chie gave her leader a wink, which was both her own way of saying that she could handle flames as well as the signal for her teammates to continue moving.

They ran down the burning corridors, the wild flames being reduced to mere embers as they passed by, and into rooms that had been set ablaze. The black ponds that were usually located in the middle of these rooms were now boiling, spilling thick, dark fumes into the air carelessly. The crystals, which were normally shimmering with vigour and excitement, had turned into dull, lethargic liquid pooling on the ground like blood.

Under such circumstances, Souji would call for Scathach's Mabufudyne to extinguish the fire and disperse the toxic gases, but he was always met with the same result: a frost-covered room, where the pond was still spewing out poisonous steam but in lighter amounts; melted crystals solidified like hardened wax, and there was no other gate or staircase in sight.

Without Rise's guidance, the team found themselves running into rooms that were covered by a thin layer of frost, and down corridors where the flames had shrunk. And whenever it seemed like they were heading somewhere different, the vicious flames around them would appear tamer within a split second despite Chie not casting any Mabufu spells on them.

It was almost like...

_"So it took you this long to notice. I have to say, though, I'm a little disappointed considering what happened earlier. Or perhaps you needed to experience that multiple times in order to test your theory?"_

Souji didn't deny nor affirm the claim, and simply kept silent as he stared at the burning corridor before him. The others, however, had varied reactions. Chie mostly looked confused, wearing a blank expression at what the voice had said. Yosuke tilted his head slightly, averting his eyes from the fire and anything or anybody that might distract him as he tried to make sense of what he had heard.

A thoughtful look flickered through Yukiko's expression before it morphed into one of shock. "Wait... Don't tell me..."

The flames danced to the beat of the Shadow's gleeful giggle. _"That's right. You haven't found any stairs, or come across any Shadows...and neither have you found any intersection between the rooms you've entered. You have been simply running around with no idea where you're heading; running into dead ends with no choice but to turn back. It's a neverending cycle, isn't it?"_

"What...? So you've been leading us into a wild goose chase all over again this whole time?" Yosuke asked, his frustration evident in his voice.

 _"Pin-pon~ You said it!"_ the Shadow sung. _"To be more precise, however...you were the ones who have been leading yourselves into this wild goose chase, not me. I was simply an observer."_

"Yeah right! As if we'd want something like that to happen in the first place!" Chie answered back, her fingers curled into fists.

_"Ahh, but do take the time to remember: I gave you an offer, didn't I? If you had chosen to take it from the very beginning, you would have been spared of all the trouble. But alas, you chose to turn it down. There was nothing I could have done. I am in no position to rob you of your right to make a choice, after all. All I can do is watch the result of your choice, and I must say, it was rather interesting at first, but it got dull when things kept repeating themselves."_

"Wha...wha--but, you--this--" Yosuke ended his nonsensical muttering with a groan. "That. Isn't. _Fair._ You never said anything about all this crap!"

Chie was fuming as well. "And besides, _you're_ the one who made this place! It's still all you after all's been said and done!"

 _"Now that's a little harsh, don't you think?"_ The Shadow gave a chuckle, completely carefree and jovial before it grew dark and sinister. _"But this isn’t what I'm talking to you for. And you know that, don't you?"_

Souji, who had not spoken a word throughout the entire exchange between Yosuke, Satonaka and the Shadow, frowned even more intensely than before. He turned to look at his teammates and scrutinised their expressions, and then he finally sighed. It was not one of resignation, but of resolve and assurance.

"...Alright," Souji said. "We'll play your game."

The next thing he knew, his world was no longer red.

Instead it was painted with a variety of colours. Bright and dark; lively and dull. It was the familiar world of the cave containing the fields of crystals and the pond with shimmering waters, but much larger and colder than he remembered. Souji couldn't tell, but it was probably as vast and cold as the first room he entered together with the rest of the team on the third floor; the room where they first met Orihara-san's Shadow in person.

The drastic change happened within a blink of an eye, like what happened with the size of the fires lining the corridors shrinking or the hell that came in the form of the seventh floor of Kubo Mitsuo's video game. Souji couldn't help but close his eyes. When he reopened them, his vision was slightly blurred, and he took another brief moment to let his eyes rest and adjust to the new yet familiar sight.

When they did, Souji bit back any verbal expression of surprise.

For what was towering over him and his friends while standing on three pairs of extremely long, hairy legs was a colossal flea-like creature, its tube-like mouth parts – almost reminiscent of that of mosquitoes - stained with dried blood and its soulless blue eyes, unblinking. Under the dim lighting of the cave-like room, the body of the insect appeared dark and dry, but when it rubbed its front legs together as it rocked side-to-side, the sound of something slimy being smeared across a smooth surface grated his ears. It was only when he heard this that Souji realised that there was a terribly foul smell in the air, bringing tears to his eyes with just a single breath.

And leaning against this monstrosity's body while resting on one of its middle legs, unperturbed by its hair or the supposedly sticky and odourous bodily fluids of the creature, was the hooded Shadow of Orihara Izaya. His golden eyes were now fully masked by the darkness under the hood - either that, or they had been toned down to the colour of Orihara-san's eyes, like most Shadows during the airing of the Midnight Channel - but the smile on his face was still clearly visible.

Before anybody could say a word, a shriek erupted from behind Souji. He didn't have to turn to know that it had belonged to Satonaka, who was now being comforted by Amagi to little success. She, along with Yosuke, mentioned something about the smell, but was probably already covering her nose because it came out muffled. Souji, on the other hand, simply kept his gaze on the Shadow and his "viewers" – or, rather, his “viewer”.

"That's quite the reaction you have there," the Shadow commented, stroking the flea's body. "Most humans would have tried to get away from the smell, or screamed in terror if they happened to have a phobia of insects, or simply given a look of disgust at the very least. But you're completely unfazed. How very intriguing."

"What are the rules of the game?" Souji asked, skilfully ignoring the Shadow's compliments.

The Shadow's smirk did not falter despite that. "Simple," he said, pushing himself on his feet on the flea's leg. "Just have fun."

And then, without giving the adolescents any time to reply, the Shadow leapt off as swiftly as a flea, melting into the darkness as the giant insect pounced towards them.

***

**Crystal Fortress, Entrance**

"--san? Kujikawa-san?"

"Get a hold of yourself, Rise!"

"Rise-chan... Rise-chan..."

"...Mm..."

The brunette slowly lifted her eyelids at the sound of other people calling out for her, allowing the light reflected off the crystalline wall and snow on the ground to peer into her eyes. She immediately shut them, and waited for them to adjust to the glaring brightness before reopening them.

Her vision blurred; all she could see at first was a spiral of colours. Rise blinked, and the colours slowly formed into shapes of human and bear faces with faded edges. She blinked repeatedly, willing the blurriness to go away.

"...Teddie...?" Rise said, her voice airy and filled with exhaustion, when her vision finally cleared.

Tears streamed down the bear's cheeks. "Rise-chaaaan!" he cried, pulling - or at least trying to pull, with his plump suit in the way - the brunette into a tight embrace. "Ohh, what a relief! You finally woke up! I was so, so scared... I... I thought you weren't going to wake up anymore..."

 _'...Huh? "Wake up"?'_ Rise blinked slowly, otherwise she remained motionless and allowed herself to be picked up and hugged by Teddie. _'I was...asleep? Was it all just a dream? It felt so real, though...'_

"...Idiot," Kanji muttered, breaking Rise's chain of thoughts without realising it. "Of course she'd wake up. S'not like she had a...whatever, y'know."

Watching Kanji turn his head away while saying that sent Rise a pang of guilt. She had heard from her grandmother - either before or after moving back to Inaba, she couldn't remember - that Kanji had lost his father to a heart attack at a very young age, and that he was present when his father took his last breath at the local hospital. Things like that were bound to have some form of impact on the child, her grandmother said. Emotional scars that might not fade with time.

And it probably wasn't just Kanji. The same went for Naoto-kun and Teddie. In fact, the same went for everybody, she realised. When she recalled the incident one and a half years ago, the time when Nanako was lying on a bed in the hospital and struggling to stay alive...

Rise bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry, Kanji... And Teddie and Naoto-kun, too. I shouldn't have made you guys worried..."

Kanji fidgeted, but kept his head turned away from the brunette. "Why're you apologising? You didn't mean for it to happen."

But it did happen, regardless of whether she intended for it or not. And because of that, she had added on to the already heavy burden her friends were shouldering. To Rise, who had vowed to support the team wholeheartedly and to the best of her ability, that was unforgiveable. It meant that she was weak; that she couldn't be there for the people who loved and accepted her for who she was when they needed her the most, and the mere thought of the latter terrified her.

"Still..." Rise began.

She was cut off by Naoto, however, who had heaved a quiet sigh of relief. "There is no point in deciding who is at fault, Kujikawa-san. Whatever the case, the most important thing right now is that you are alright."

At this, Teddie seemed to sob even more loudly than ever, almost to the point of wailing. With a tired and apologetic smile on her face, Rise stroked the bear's fine fur and spoke softly to him, "There, there, Teddie. I'm okay now, see? There's nothing to worry about."

Teddie sniffed, saying nothing as he tried to calm himself down. When he lifted his head from Rise's shoulder, Rise could see tears welling up in his large eyes and on the brink of spilling over again. "Really?" Teddie squeaked.

"Really," Rise said.

Teddie's lips trembled. He pulled the brunette closer to him once more, and buried the upper half of his head into her shoulder. "But...but it was so cold, Rise-chan..."

Rise froze.

"What're you talking about, Teddie? It's been cold since we came here," Kanji said.

Teddie separated himself from Rise and turned his body towards Kanji. "Nooo, I meant, really _really_ cold. Like going out naked during winter and bathing in the snow."

Naoto cleared her throat. "That's...a little..."

"Wait," Rise said. "Teddie, you said that you felt cold?"

Teddie turned back and blinked, his tears subsiding. "Uh-huh."

"Did...did that happen when I was unconscious?"

"Um..." Teddie fiddled with his fingers and looked to the ground before he stood upright. "Ah! I remember now. Rise-chan was saying something about a break, and then all of a sudden there was this voice and right after that Rise-chan collapsed!" His ears folded downward. "That was when it got really, really cold... I was so scared..."

"A voice..."

That was when Rise fell into deep thought, trying to recollect all that had happened before she blacked out. Like what Teddie mentioned, she was guiding Senpai and the others through the fortress before she suggested for them to take a break. Not long after that, the same voice that spoke to her when her seniors first entered the fortress whispered something again - _"The sweeter the honeymoon, the higher the flames of despair"_ , if she remembered correctly - and then the next thing she knew, she was in the middle of a blizzard. All alone. With nothing - not even her Persona - accompanying her except for the wind and snow.

Even at the mere thought of it, Rise couldn't help but shiver. She continued pondering about it; about why Kanji and Naoto didn't notice the change in temperature, and why she was the only one who went through that snowstorm even when Teddie and she both heard the voice...and then it struck her.

The scenery that she saw, the coldness that she felt, and the mysterious disappearance of everyone around her including her own Persona...

It was all just an illusion, a manifestation of Orihara-san's hidden feelings projected into her mind.

It wasn't exactly like the physical dungeon that everyone else normally created, but rather an intangible transmission of someone's innermost thoughts and emotions.

If Rise had to put it in another way, it was like hearing the voices when passing through the dungeon, but magnified to the point of creating a realistic illusion that only she could see and experience fully due to Kanzeon's extensive scanning ability.

She hadn't experienced anything like that before, though, so it was more of intuition that anything else. Still, Rise couldn't shake away the nausea that was beginning to creep up into her throat as she thought further on that intuition. The idea of taking even just a peek at someone else's innermost feelings and thoughts was already enough to make her ill, let alone being immersed in those very thoughts and suffocated by the sheer intensity of those raw, uncontrollable emotions. It made Rise feel like a trespasser in somebody's mind; like a sickening monster violating someone else by forcefully stripping their shields down and leaving their thoughts bare and exposed for herself to indulge in.

And what made matters worse was that those thoughts and feelings were still lingering in Rise's own body and mind, in the form of a cold sensation that had been planted in her chest and spreading its roots to the rest of her body. She felt herself slipping away, back into the illusion of the snowstorm, where her calls had gone unanswered and there was nobody but her and everything was just so _cold_ that--

"O-oi, Rise?"

"Rise-chan?!"

Kanji and Teddie's concerned voices snapped Rise back to the present, and that was when she realised that she had, at some point, hunched over and trembling with a hand over her mouth, and that her eyes were tearing.

She noticed that Naoto's eyes had widened slightly. "Kujikawa-san, are you alright?"

"...Eh...?"

"You have been...well, looking ill for the past few minutes. Is there something troubling you?"

Rise blinked, and quickly wiped away her tears. "...I'm fine," she said. "I'm fine," she repeated, louder than before.

_'That's right, I can't let them know... Something like that wasn't meant for anyone but Orihara-san himself to know. It's not mine to tell. I have no right to._

_'...But what I_ can _do, is save him. Make sure he gets out safely, back into the real world. Where there’s somebody waiting for him. There just has to be. Even if it's just one person, at least there's somebody.'_

With that resolve, Rise pushed herself shakily to her feet and fought back the nausea. "Enough about me," she said firmly, her sudden determination surprising her friends. "Kanji, Naoto-kun, why are you out here? And what about Senpai and the others? Why aren't they here?"

"Uh. Your guess is as good as ours," Kanji replied, recovering. "Me an' Naoto were about to head off when the whole floor was suddenly on fire for no reason. We tried to move on, but the fire got stronger and stronger the further we went, so there was no choice but to come back here."

"We thought Senpai and the others would do the same, but..." Naoto trailed off, looking vaguely uncomfortable. She was probably bothered by the fact that she had chosen to return to the entrance while Senpai had not, despite the fire - possibly - being stronger on the higher floors.

"There's this smell, though," Teddie said, his nose twitching.

“A smell?” Rise asked.

Teddie nodded. "I'm not sure if it's the smoke or anything, but it smells really, really bad. It's like the time I got Yosuke's worn and unwashed socks stuffed up in my nose and couldn’t get them out."

"...Wait you _smelled_ Yosuke-senpai's socks? Not only that, you got them _stuffed up your nose_ before? Why would you go do somethin' like that?" Kanji asked, paling slightly.

Naoto looked like she didn't know whether to be appalled or impressed at Teddie's daring feat. "I-I think we can leave that aside until we have accomplished what we came to do," she said, effectively stopping Teddie from recounting his tale before he could try to.

Rise, on the other hand, giggled. And her friends who saw and heard her bubbly laughter, something they hadn't heard all day, allowed themselves a small smile. "Thanks, Teddie," said Rise. "You can leave the rest to me now."

Basking in the warmth of the company of her friends, Rise called upon her Persona, ready to lend her support to her teammates once again, but with renewed determination and resolve.

The cold sensation slowly wilted away.


	20. Crystal Fortress V

**April 19, 2013**

**Crystal Fortress, 6F**

It was an immensely tiring battle, for the most part. The flea's speedy pounce had caught them unawares at first, giving it the advantage of going first and sweeping them off their feet hard with its legs.

After its first strike, the abnormally large insect let loose an even nastier stench which made the four Persona-users ill and susceptible to its Anima Freeze spell, rendering them drained of their energy and painfully vulnerable to all of the creature's following attacks.

Thinking back about it, their victory was probably a miracle, all things considered. "Probably", because if it hadn't been the insect's Tempest Slash missing Yukiko, the raven might not have been able to take the opportunity to use the last of her Soul Power for a Prayer. With everyone regaining their strength and their wounds perfectly healed, as well as the aid of Yosuke's Masukukaja and Rise's timely support, the tables were turned in their favour.

So now, for just a short moment, the room that was segregated from the flames was filled with the sound of pants coming from four evidently exhausted teenagers standing around a flea-like monster. It had fallen to the ground on its side, having suffered the full brunt of a Mind Charged Agidyne - among other skills - followed by a group attack and Chie and Yukiko's Twin Dragons combination. A few of its legs were twitching, and its mouth part extended and retracted like as if it were gasping for air. Its circular blue eyes, however, remained wide and still, staring into space.

Then, with a final twitch of one of its hind legs, the creature's eyes dulled before its entire body melted into a thick, shadowy aura that dispersed into the air, taking along with it the stench that the flea had given off.

"How's...that...?" Yosuke managed to say, panting with a triumphant smile on his face.

The four Persona-users waited in anticipation for the Shadow's voice, which kept perfectly quiet. It felt like the Shadow was observing them, like a scientist would his subjects, and trying to make sense of his findings. Then, without any notice, a gate appeared in the wall directly in front of them before it parted from the ground.

Souji and his teammates merely stared at it in surprise, and continued waiting for the Shadow to make any sort of comment, but all they got was silence as opposed to the usual chatter.

"Um..." Yukiko started. "Is he...mad at us or something?"

Yosuke snorted. "For winning the game? If he is, then he's more of a sore loser than I thought."

"Who cares? We got the prize, so let's just go already," Chie said, looking over her shoulder and all around her for any signs of other flea-like Shadows they might've had missed.

"Ohh, _someone's_ eager to leave," Yosuke teased, giving Chie. Chie, in turn, shot him a death glare, as if daring him to say any more. At that, Yosuke chuckled nervously and raised both hands in surrender.

"Oh, right, we didn't get a chance to say this earlier, but...thank you, Rise-chan. If it hadn't been for your help, we might have spent a long time fighting that Shadow," said Yukiko as she tilted her head towards the ceiling.

Inwardly thanking Amagi for the convenient change in topic - whether it was intentional or not was not his concern at the moment - Yosuke added, "Y-yeah, you really saved us back there. But, man... What the heck happened to you? Did you get blocked out again?"

 _"It's...complicated,"_ Rise replied. _"I'll tell you guys the details once all this is over, but basically, yeah, I got blocked out. Oh, and no need for thanks, Yukiko-senpai. It's my responsibility, after all._

_"Now, c'mon! No more wasting time. We've still got a ways to go, but I know we can do it!"_

At the sound of the idol's cheer, a sign of normalcy of their lives, smiles of relief found their ways to Souji and the others' faces. With their spirits uplifted and their prior weariness now forgotten, they ran forward through the opened gate and into the corridor that was once dominated by raging fires.

***

 _"Didn't I tell you I was stabbed? I haven't found the one who did it yet. Look, don't people tend to hate me_ when I only meant well _? That's why I paid them to be my guards. ...The crackdown on bousouzoku gangs is kind of severe recently, you see."_

_[I agree, but...]_

_The words that belonged to somebody whom they presumed to have no voice surfaced in their minds. It was like remembering or visualising someone slowly typing the Japanese characters into the screen of an electronic device._

_And in this manner, the next few words were "typed out" before their eyes:_

_[But I'm pretty sure you don't usually mean well.]_

_The voice then replied._

_"I was just kidding. With my job and my personality I more than deserve all the hate I get. That's something even I would readily understand."_

_[If you understand, can't you at least try to change your personality for a bit?]_

_"If I ever feel like it, sure."_

_Spoken with such insincerity._

_It was like hearing someone converse with himself in the most nonchalant tone they ever heard in their lives._

***

**On the top floor of an expensive-looking apartment somewhere on the Kawagoe Highway**

"Celtyyyy, I'm home~!" a bespectacled, brown-haired man in his mid-twenties announced, stretching his free arm out as he opened the door to his apartment.

[Ah, welcome back. How did it go?]

Shinra brightened even more at the sight of his beloved's message for him. "Well, they were happy to see me, of course, but I think they're even happier with their results from this research trip. The first thing they said to me was that they couldn't wait to return to the lab, and then they really took the cab there even with all their luggage and equipment, so in the end, I came back by myself." He shrugged, looking as if he had expected it. "Oh, but Father said he might be dropping by later to drop off his and Emilia-san's luggage, so we should expect to get a call from him when he does."

[I see. You must be tired. Have a good rest for tonight. I'll go pick the luggage up when Shingen arrives.]

"Ohh Celty, how kind you are! I want to embrace and hold you in bed right now!"

[Don't say something so embarrassing.] Celty replied, but Shinra could tell from the expression on her face, which was non-existent to other people, that she was pleased to hear that from him.

Still beaming as brightly as ever, Shinra hurriedly closed the door to join Celty on the couch. When he saw that she made no gesture to acknowledge his presence next to her and instead turned back to face an empty television screen, however, his face fell slightly.

"Souji-kun and the others haven't returned?" Shinra asked gently, even though he knew the answer to that question.

Celty's neck shook, causing the shadow trailing from it to meander along with it. [...They've been in there for more than eight hours. What if...what if something happened to them?]

"I'm sure they're fine, Celty. They seem to know what they're doing. Maybe they usually take several hours to complete a rescue."

[But they're just kids in some unknown world. It...it doesn't feel right to leave them alone there.]

"Celty," Shinra said soothingly, inching closer towards his loved one. He held out his hand and tenderly placed it over Celty's. "I understand your concerns, but Souji-kun and his friends have been doing this for a year, haven't they? I believe they know how to take care of themselves, so let's try to have a little more faith in them. Who knows? They might show up unscathed at any moment now."

Instinctively Celty's fingers hovered over her PDA, but as she considered Shinra's words, she withdrew her hand. Then, once it looked like she had made up her mind about how to respond, she proceeded to tap on the screen.

[You're right. I made myself worry over what might be nothing.] A pause. [Thank you, Shinra. You always say the things that I need to hear.]

"What's most important is for you to feel at ease, Celty," Shinra replied, his fingers curling around his beloved's.

While Shinra wouldn't deny that he was curious to know what Celty had initially wanted to tell him, he didn't want to risk making her feel any more uncomfortable than she already was about the recent happenings. Though Shinra opened his heart to her, he understood that Celty had to have her own privacy as well, and so he decided to leave the whole thing aside until the day came where Celty felt ready. Whether they would eventually come back to it at all didn't matter. As long as Celty was comfortable and happy, Shinra would do anything for her.

That was how their relationship had always been, after all, and it would continue to be that way: developing slowly but surely, taking one baby step at a time with each other by their side.

Celty seemed to chuckle at the touch, the feeling of Shinra's fingers interlocking with her own. Then, with a small poof of smoke from the stem of her neck, she shifted closer until their shoulders met, and rested her neck against Shinra's shoulder, content and blissful even as heavy rain pelted their windows and thunders bellowed.

Shinra, in turn, tilted his head until he felt Celty's shadow stroking his hair. The smile on his face widened at the tickling sensation, and he closed his eyes, wishing he could fall asleep the way he was now - sitting next to Celty on the couch, holding her hand, feeling the touch of their bodies leaning into each other.

"You know," Shinra spoke, sounding almost distant as he drifted off to sleep, "seeing you worry about Souji-kun and the others like this, Celty... I think you'd make the perfect mother for our children in the fut--owowowow, that hurts, Celty, ow, ow!"

***

_A string of words spoken in an entirely foreign language._

_A voice that most of them were unfamiliar with._

_But somewhere in that jumble of alien words, they could hear the name clearly._

_"Orihara Izaya"._

_That name was mentioned a number of times._

_And the only other thing they could understand from the long speech--_

_\--was the sudden roar of laughter._

_The voice laughed._

_And laughed._

_And laughed..._

_It was as if he were laughing at the most ridiculous of jokes ever to exist._

_Yet at the same time, it was as if..._

_...he were laughing at the sorriest creature he had ever laid his eyes upon._

***

**Crystal Fortress, 8F**

The laughter that belonged to the unknown man continued resonating throughout the floor even as they made their way to the stairs. Walking down the corridors, which were narrow and made entirely of stone, only served to amplify that seemingly endless laughter.

At random points in time, the same voice would mention something, but as it was spoken in a language unfamiliar to most of them, it was almost as good as falling on deaf ears if not for the fact that it was rather unsettling. With no way of understanding what was being said, the team focused on moving on, eliminating all Shadows in their way.

But the same could not be said for one of them, who understood the one-sided conversation perfectly.

Shirogane Naoto casted her eyes downward, and murmured, "...Orihara-san..."

Tatsumi's frown deepened as he walked alongside her. "Yeah. I heard his name." A pause. "The language this guy is using... Is that Russian?"

Naoto nodded silently.

Kanji resisted the urge to rub the back of his neck. "I figured. You mentioned that Orihara-san knew that language when you were talking about the whole thing." He looked at their surroundings. "Doesn't sound like him talkin', though. Must be a Russian sayin' something about him and he happened to be listening... Maybe."

Naoto simply kept her head low, partly because she did not feel like responding to Tatsumi-kun's guess, but mostly because she did not want him to know that she had, in fact, understood the language. She knew she was being unfair by keeping yet another secret from him, but if he were to learn of what the Russian was saying, it would be unfair to Orihara-san as well. There had to be a reason why this fortress was echoing something that had been spoken in a tongue unfamiliar to most Japanese, after all.

But at the same time, Naoto wouldn't deny that there was another reason as to why she was keeping this fact a secret.

To Naoto, Russian was not just a language she had happened to learn, or was in the process of learning. Not like Japanese, which was mandatory, or English, which was mostly for the convenience of clients who were more comfortable with using it. No, Russian was, in hindsight, of no use to her at all. It was a redundant and purposeless pursuit, and Naoto couldn't even recall the exact reason why she had decided to take it up in the end. What she did know, however, was that it was a pursuit that somehow still held a special meaning to her despite her view on its practicality - or lack thereof, rather.

In a way, it served as a reminder of the relationship she once had with Orihara-san before his identity as Nakura the administrator of the online suicide groups came into the picture.

...No. Not "Orihara-san", but "Sakazaki-san". It was the name that was given to both her grandfather and her when he first introduced himself to them; the name of a person Naoto had usually spoken of so fondly before she met the same man again under completely different circumstances years after her first meeting with Sakazaki-san.

But when Naoto thought about it, it was meaningless to refer to another person with different names, she understood. It was like calling her teammates by the names of their Personas - or, worse still, Seta-senpai by the names of the vast quantity of Personas he possessed - even though said Personas were part of them

In the same manner, it might be difficult to associate Orihara-san with the Sakazaki-san of Naoto's memories, but that did not change the fact Sakazaki-san was a persona born from Orihara-san's own psyche.

Venturing through the fortress, therefore, was like delving deeper into the mind of the man Naoto had once admired - and that was what made this mission particularly uncomfortable for her.

And the more Naoto progressed and heard what was being said about Orihara-san, the more she realised just how little she thought she had understood about him.

 _'...Orihara-san,'_  the detective thought sadly to herself. _'Just what are you so afraid of?'_

She received a fading roar of laughter as her only answer.

***

_"Even if it's Hel, as long as I exist, that's all that matters."_

_"…Well, of course, I aim to go to Valhalla."_

_"Ne, Namie, let's go to Heaven together."_

_"--How ironic. You keep telling everyone how much you love humans, yet you're looking for hope in the world after death."_

_"Actually it's the other way around. I love humans, and that's why I want to keep watching them forever."_

_..._

_"...This place..."_

_"Is this...Valhalla?"_

_"It's beautiful here..."_

_"And I can watch my lovely humans from here... For all eternity."_

_"...Haha."_

_"At last..."_

_"I've arrived at Valhalla at last."_

***

**Crystal Fortress, 9F**

"...This guy's thoughts are all over the place," Yosuke said, breaking the silence that enveloped the first corridor of the ninth floor the team had entered.

It was slightly different from the other corridors from the first to eighth floors. The usual drop in the temperature aside, the corridors of the ninth were no longer lined with torches but gaps in the stone, acting as windows to the world beyond the fortress. Tiny flakes of snow and mild gusts of wind drifted into the fortress via these windows, making the corridor colder, and therefore harder, to run through.

At Yosuke's question, Yukiko asked, "And that's not a good sign, right?"

 _"No, it's definitely not,"_ Rise replied. _"And if he thinks this Valhalla is Heaven, and that the TV world is Valhalla... Oh no, Senpai, we have to hurry!"_

"We'll do our best," Souji said firmly.

The four of them pressed on without stopping.

***

**Along a street in Ikebukuro, Tokyo**

"It's been hard on you two, as usual. Go back home and get a good night's rest."

"Understood." "Alright."

The replies came simultaneously.

In response to them, Tanaka Tom gave a nod, and then he waved at his two bodyguards as they left in the opposite direction together.

Shizuo and Vorona walked in comfortable silence, passing by small shops and humble cafés that had already closed for the day. Only 24-hour shops like convenience stores were still open, seeing their usual long queues as customers from many walks of life came to buy a late-night snack or food for tomorrow's breakfast. Few cars drove past the pair, who walked alongside each other with their umbrellas in hand. They made quiet splashes as their feet stepped across the pavement which had been soaked with rainwater.

When they reached the junction where they normally parted ways, Shizuo was about to bid the day's farewell to his kouhai but the Russian did not budge despite recognising the gesture. He stared at her blankly. "...Uh. Y'know, you don't have to follow me around. I'll be fine on my own."

"Affirmative and negative, Senpai. Capable of unbreakable defense, Senpai is. But the enemy, unknown and cunning. The possibility of their inhumanity, approximately seventy percent. To help Senpai fight off this enemy is my aim. Protection, side-benefit. Though Senpai's safety is paramount, of course," Vorona replied, completely emotionless.

Shizuo didn't say anything to that. Instead, he raised his free hand and, as gently as he could, patted the blonde on her head who did not flinch - and even seemed to relax - at the familiar touch. "Thanks, Vorona," he said, after a moment. "But I don't want you to get involved. Whoever it is is targeting me, not you. This is my own problem to deal with. You understand, right?"

"...I see. If Senpai is more comfortable with that, then follow you I shall not. However, if the enemy approaches Senpai, please contact, no hesitation. I will aid in the elimination of enemy, for certain."

Shizuo gave a small smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

Vorona nodded. "Then I shall take my leave, Senpai. Do take due care."

The Russian kept her piercing blue eyes on Shizuo for just a split second longer, and then she turned and walked away.

Once he was sure that Vorona was completely out of sight, Shizuo continued on his way home, keeping a hand in his pocket while holding up an umbrella in the other. As he slowly walked along the pavement in the heavy rain, he returned to his own thoughts, something he hadn't done all day due to the distraction that work and the twins had provided.

_'...Oh right. Kururi and Mairu.'_

Shizuo grumbled something incoherent under his breath.

He wasn't pissed at them, though. Not exactly. It was just that with all the weirdness going on, Shizuo's patience was constantly being challenged, so having to handle the twins was irksome, to say the least. Especially since they absolutely refused to back down from their search until Shizuo - very reluctantly - passed them an autographed photo of Kasuka. It sent them back to school straight away, to Shizuo's relief. It was a good thing, too; it would have been bad if they got caught in the storm while looking for the flea.

On that note, Shizuo remembered that Celty had sent him a text some time in the late afternoon, saying that the kids they met had gone into the TV. Shizuo didn't know how to respond when he saw that. Part of him was still frustrated from the weirdness, but at the same time, another part of him was...relieved. He couldn't explain it but he certainly did feel relieved knowing that there were people who bothered to go save someone he hated.

Shizuo didn't understand why himself. He had been hoping for Izaya's death all along, after all. Sure, Shizuo wanted to kill the flea with his own hands, but when he thought about it, it didn't really matter - he just wanted Izaya dead. Or at least stop messing around with the people in Ikebukuro. So why was he even the slightest bit relieved?

It was a strange feeling. And that added to the weirdness of everything. Which made Shizuo even more frustrated.

He remembered he had sent back a reply - _Thanks for letting me know._ \- in spite of it all, though. He hadn't received anything else after that, but he figured that the kids had probably already managed to find Izaya and brought him back for Shinra to look at, so Celty was probably too busy with that many people in the apartment to notify Shizuo of what had happened.

It was the best possibility he could think of; after all, it wasn't like the kids could stay in the TV for that long. They said it themselves.

Shizuo shrugged. There wasn't any point in thinking about all this when it only served to confuse him even further. He'd just wait for Celty's text, he decided.

So when Shizuo reached his apartment, he didn't think about the matter as he headed for the bathtub and took a shower. Didn't think as he went into the kitchen and grabbed the opened carton of milk in the fridge. Didn't think as he poured the silk white liquid into a glass and casually stepped out of the kitchen while drinking the milk.

And when the television screen in his living room sprung to life at the stroke of midnight, Shizuo didn't know what to think.

Even when the series of images died away, Shizuo remained perfectly still, staring wide-eyed at the screen with a half-empty glass in his hand, his mind as blank as the colour of the milk he just drank.

"...No way," he muttered, shaking his head. "Musta been seeing things... Time to go to bed, go to bed..."

But the images, which were fresh in Shizuo's mind, kept the blond from falling asleep. With both hands behind his head, Shizuo stared dazedly at the ceiling, and remained in that position for quite some time; he didn't know how long exactly.

It wasn't until he heard his phone ring that Shizuo snapped out of his stupor.

Stiffly, Shizuo picked his phone up from the table next to his bed. Without looking at the caller ID, he pressed the "receive call" button and then held the phone to his ear.

"...Yeah?"

"Shizuo-kun?"

Shizuo tensed upon recognition of the voice. "What is it, Shinra?"

"...I don't know if this is a piece of bad or good news, but I thought you should know since you're involved in a way. Ahaha, but knowing how things are like with you and Izaya, it's probably both at the same time. Really, the both of you keep giving me so much trouble. I can't ever have any peace with Celty with you two around. Especially Izaya. I mean, seriously, getting himself caught up in this and--"

"Just spit it out already."

There was silence at the other end of the line for a moment until Shinra broke it, "They found him. Izaya, I meant."

"Oh. That's all? Can I put down the phone now?"

"I wasn't finished, Shizuo-kun. Yes, Souji-kun and the others did manage to find and bring Izaya back, but that doesn't mean his life is out of danger just yet." Shizuo could hear the doctor shift his spectacles as he hesitated. "Izaya has been in a semi-conscious state ever since he was brought in. I've checked his vitals and they're all normal. No wound indicating of any sort of concussion either. But he still hasn't been responding well to any of our questions. Just a few incoherent mumbles or groans, even when nobody is speaking to him."

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "It's just the flea being a flea, Shinra. Next thing you know, he's gonna jump up and laugh in your faces like the annoying bastard he is."

_'You can never trust a person like Izaya, after all.'_

That was the impression Shizuo got of the other man ever since their first meeting in high school.

But instead of agreeing with Shizuo like what he always did, Shinra said, "You don't understand. I assessed him personally - there's really something wrong about his condition. He's showing obvious signs of a serious concussion, but there aren't any wounds on his body at all, let alone his head. He's delirious, to say the least. But what I'm more concerned about is something else.

"I'll be honest with you, Shizuo-kun. Izaya isn't faring too well. His heart rate, blood pressure and SpO2 are dropping as we speak. I'm doing all I can to keep his vitals up, but until I can find the reason for his condition, there's nothing much I can do. I'm afraid Souji-kun and his friends' efforts may all be for naught in the end."

Shizuo's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

"It's exactly what I mean, Shizuo-kun.” Shinra sighed. “Izaya is dying. And I don’t know why."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Durarara!! novel translations are by anni_fiesta. Excerpts from Volumes 3 and 9 are in this chapter.


	21. April 20 2013, Early Morning

**April 20, 2013**

[Shinra.]

"Hmm?" The bespectacled man turned around, giving Celty a warm smile as he pocketed his phone. "What is it, dear?"

[About Izaya...] She started hesitantly. [Um, how is he?]

Shinra "hmm"-ed in a way that sounded like a contemplative sigh. He turned back to face his latest patient on the bed, and waved a gloved hand in front of his patient's face only to get no response. "The same as when Souji-kun and the others brought him in," Shinra said. "Still ignoring everything and everyone around him. It makes me wonder if he is even aware of what's going on. With how he is now, though, I think it'd be no surprise if he isn't."

[And Shizuo? Did you tell him?]

"I did. And you know what he said? He said he didn't exactly care." Shinra smiled wryly. "Well, who can blame him, really."

Celty didn't reply, and simply made her way closer to the bed, standing next to Shinra while watching Izaya fade in and out of consciousness.

Like what Shinra had described, Izaya was completely oblivious to their presence in the room. He was just lying there on the bed, so straight and still that if Shinra had declared him dead, Celty would readily believe him. The only telltale sign proving that Izaya was still alive, of course, was the steady rising and falling of his chest.

Occasionally, when Izaya happened to be in a brief conscious phase, he would also mutter something under his breath or let out a quiet moan. It never failed to give her a shock.

As Shinra had hypothesised, people might sometimes have the reasoning and processing part of their brains shut down for many possible reasons. But with all their senses intact, they were still able to see and hear everything around them. Without the logical part of their brains functioning, however, their instincts would be responsible for interpreting what was being sensed, which almost certainly meant chaos for the victims of this strange phenomenon.

It was why they often responded to the mayhem they were "seeing" with nonsensical mumbling, Shinra had explained. To other people, it might sound like a meaningless murnur, but to the victims themselves, it was a lucid statement. Shinra joked that it was no different from how Izaya was normally like. Celty thought it was almost like sleep talking. Except that Izaya was conscious, which was rather unsettling.

But what unnerved Celty the most was Izaya's eyes.

When Izaya would slip into unconsciousness, his eyelids would slowly lower until they completely covered his eyes. When Izaya was regaining consciousness, however, his eyes would open fully in an extremely swift manner, and then he would stare into space with widened eyes that saw nothing and nobody.

And those eyes... They had been so bright once. So filled with passion, vigour and _life._ But now they were cold. Distant, even. Almost as though he were viewing everything from another world.

Despite it all, though, Celty couldn't find within herself the heart to feel the slightest bit of sympathy for Izaya. This was the man who ruined the lives of others despite knowing the consequences of his actions; the man who could never be trusted, and the man who wouldn't hesitate to put her friends and loved ones in danger just to get what he wanted. It was hard to sympathise with the very same man whom Celty believed to have deserved what was coming.

On the contrary, she felt sorry for the group of teenagers who were resting outside the room, waiting for Shinra to update them on the poor condition of the man they tried so hard to save.

They had travelled into another world, got themselves worn out and covered in grime and cuts and bruises - all to save this same man who was seen as despicable by many people who had met him, including Celty herself. Of course, it didn't mean that Celty believed they should've had left an innocent life in there, but when the victim was someone like Izaya, she couldn’t help but question if things were really that simple.

There was no telling what Izaya's true intentions were in any situation, after all.

She knew she was being a little too cold, but...

"Excuse me, Kishitani-sensei? Celty-san?"

A voice that clearly belonged to Souji, accompanied by two consecutive knocks on the door, interrupted Celty's chain of thoughts.

And apparently, Shinra's as well. "Yes? What is it, Souji-kun?"

"There's someone at the door, looking for you. We're not sure if it's alright to let him in. He says he is--"

"Preposterous!"

Another voice that was all too familiar to Shinra and Celty joined in, sounding more muffled from behind the door than Souji's was.

Before either could react, there was a myriad of voices and then the door to the room slammed open, revealing a man dressed in a white doctor's coat and equipped with a gas mask as the culprit for the sudden commotion. His hair was brown, the same shade as Shinra's, and slicked back. He wore surgical gloves and rubber boots, looking like a mismatch between a surgeon and factory plant worker. It was a strange sense of attire all in all, but somehow it seemed like the perfect fit for the equally, if not stranger, man who had just barged straight into the room that made for a makeshift hospital ward.

"What a ridiculous turn of events we're having," the masked man said, shaking his head in what seemed to be disappointment. "To think that I, your father - your own biological father - have to seek clearance from a bunch of teenagers in order to enter my own house! And all I came here for was to drop off the luggage and grab some clothes! Do you really doubt my respect for your privacy with Celty-kun that you have to hire these children as your personal bodyguards, Shinra?"

"You're exaggerating, Father," Shinra replied.

At the same time, Celty held up her PDA. [Do we have any reason to believe you in the first place?]

"You wound me so, Celty-kun. I _am_ your father as well, you realise. Shouldn't you be a little kinder to me?"

[I will if you act more like one.]

"What's that? You didn't deny that I'm your father?" Shingen said excitedly, cupping a gloved hand around his ear as he walked and leaned towards Celty. It was deliberate, and Celty knew that, so she remained mostly unfazed. "Hey hey, so that means you two are finally going to be married! ...And you didn't mention a word of it to Emilia and me. Aren't you two being a little unfair, keeping it all to yourselves?"

Celty's shoulders slumped as she shook her neck. Shingen's melodramatic side was often hard to deal with, a trait that he shared with his son, Celty had to admit. Though Shinra's melodrama was something she could handle. Shingen’s mannerisms, on the other hand, occasionally reminded her of Izaya, which was probably why Celty sometimes found it difficult to get along well with him.

"We haven't discussed much about marriage just yet, Father," Shinra said. Then he gave Celty a suggestive smile. "Hm, but if Celty is ready..."

[Th-this isn't the time for such things!] Celty quickly typed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but..."

The members of the Kishitani household turned towards the voice. They were greeted by the sight of Souji and his friends walking into the room, looking uncertain as to how far it was alright for them to step in.

"Is something the matter?" Shinra asked.

"Oh, no, it’s nothing too major," Souji assured. "We're just worried for Orihara-san."

"'Orihara-san'?" Shingen rubbed his chin. "What, so Izaya-kun got himself into trouble again? Hoho, that boy really never learns, does he. But I think it'll be alright. He can take anything Shizuo throws at him and spring to his feet like nothing happened. You kids have nothing to worry about."

"...Father," Shinra said. "Look here.”

Shingen's line of vision followed the direction Shinra was indicating, taking a closer look at the man occupying the bed who he somehow failed to notice when he had entered the room. With both hands behind his back, Shingen walked around the bed, moving from one side of the bed to the other without taking his eyes off Izaya, evaluating his condition meticulously.

The one and only time Shingen took his eyes off Izaya was to check the informant's pulse and blood pressure, the vitals being displayed on the screen of a monitor by Izaya's bed. Celty had mirrored this action, and it was then that she noticed the numbers displayed fluctuating slightly while remaining on the low side.

When Shingen nudged Izaya on the shoulder and tried to initiate a conversation with him, Izaya opened his lifeless eyes slightly and gave an intelligible moan as a response.

"...Hm! This is..."

Shinra jolted. "Father, you know something about this?"

Celty, along with the other eight adolescents in the room, moved in closer.

"This is simply a conjecture on my part," Shingen started, pulling the blanket over Izaya's chest after completing his examination. "But it seems that Izaya-kun here is suffering from a peculiar condition - one that has not been diagnosed in nearly three years."

He paused to give Izaya another glance. Then he nodded. "Yes, there is no mistaking it...

"Izaya-kun is suffering from Apathy Syndrome."

Silence descended into the room until Naoto broke it.

"...Apathy...Syndrome..." she whispered, letting the words roll over her tongue as if she had heard them before.

"What exactly is that?" Yosuke asked.

"I think I read about it somewhere," Shinra said, turning towards his father. "A few years ago, a place called Tatsumi Port Island saw a sudden outbreak of cases of a particular condition. And then, after a year, it vanished. All the patients who were still alive instantly recovered, and nobody ever contracted it again. Its occurrence...no, I should say even its mere existence remains a complete mystery to researchers even today."

"And the name of that condition is Apathy Syndrome," Shingen continued from where Shinra had left off.

"Please, tell us more," Souji requested.

And so, Shingen did. (Or more like, in Celty's eyes, he would've had done so without Souji's request anyway.)

The condition named Apathy Syndrome.

As the name itself explained, patients with such a condition displayed extreme apathy towards everything and everyone around them, to the extent of indifference even towards themselves. They would stop caring about their own needs, depriving themselves of food and water, and would simply remain bedridden or walk aimlessly until they drew their last breath. If not for the people taking care of them, there would've had been a high death rate from this condition.

What worried researchers and healthcare professionals the most had not been the lack of a cure for Apathy Syndrome, but the reason such a condition had existed at all. It started with a handful of people developing extreme apathy overnight one day, without any warning or notice. As time passed, the number grew, baffling many experts and researchers. And then, it dropped drastically. But it wasn't long before the number rose again...before it fell down again. It was a repeating cycle over the course of the year.

After studying this strange pattern, however, researchers managed to arrive at one conclusion: the occurrence of Apathy Syndrome was related to the cycle of the moon.

The number of reported cases rapidly increased as time drew closer to the full moon, and once it was over, the number decreased sharply. Just as there were many patients who developed the condition overnight, so were there patients who recovered - with no recollection of the time spent in their apathetic states - just as quickly and inexplicably.

Then, like what Shinra said, the odd nightmare simply ended after a year of tormenting the inhabitants of Tatsumi Port Island. Nobody had heard of another case ever since.

...That is, until today.

"Lack of acknowledgement for his surroundings, fading in and out of consciousness, mumbling to himself, low pulse rate and BP... These are clearly early signs of Apathy Syndrome." Shingen chuckled. "Looks like Izaya-kun hit the jackpot."

How contracting an incurable and unstable disease could be considered striking the jackpot, Celty would never understand - and neither did she want to anyway - but what she did understand, was that it was definitely not a call for celebration. As much as she might dislike Izaya, Celty certainly wouldn't rejoice at the idea of him dying.

[Why do you know so much about this condition anyway?] she decided to ask in an attempt to shrug off the disconcerting idea.

"I was there on behalf of Nebula to look into the disease," Shingen replied. "I did invite Shinra to come along, but he was too busy spending time with you to even bother."

Celty winced. If Shinra had indeed gone with Shingen to investigate the condition, he would've probably known exactly what to do for Izaya right now instead of just watching his friend slowly withering away without knowing the reason why. Her arms fell limp, hanging by her sides.

Shinra caught her hand with his own and flashed her a warm smile as he ran his thumb over her knuckles soothingly.

"Whatever it is, it's all in the past," he said, to both Celty and his father. "What's important right now is to figure out a way to take care of Izaya until he gets better."

"We'll do whatever we can to help," Yukiko said determinedly. Her friends nodded at her suggestion.

"That's very nice of you," Shinra replied. "But you really don't have to do anything further. You guys have already done enough for Izaya."

"But it isn't _good_ enough," Souji said, with every intention to be blunt. "This isn't the outcome we wanted."

The frowns plastered on his teammates' faces seemed to convey their agreement with him.

[You did all you could to save him. That's good enough for us.]

"No, it isn't," Teddie insisted, sounding sad.

Rise raised her voice slightly, "We were so close... We were practically just a few seconds away from truly saving him, but..." She paused, pursing her lips. "No. This isn't enough. Seeing Orihara-san like this from what happened in the TV world... No. We can't. We won't admit that we have saved him, because we haven't even achieved that."

[Don't be so hard on yourselves.] Celty typed, shaking her neck. [I don't know what happened exactly, but I do know that it isn't your fault. So don't shoulder the blame all by yourselves.]

"But--"

"Now before you kids go on," Shingen cut everyone off, raising both of his hands like a mediator in an argument between two parties, "this is all rather intriguing, but I'm afraid I don't quite follow with what most of you are saying. What is this talk about saving Izaya-kun or a TV world? Is there some big thing going on that you can't tell your dear ol' Daddy about, Shinra and Celty-kun?"

If Celty could facepalm at the goosebump-worthy designation, she would've had done so at this moment.

"Well..." Shinra began, giving Souji a hesitant glance.

Souji seemed to be holding back a sigh. He looked over his team before redirecting his attention to Shingen.

"...We can talk about this outside."

***

The walk to Shinra's had been strangely infuriating, to say the least.

At first Shizuo hadn't intended to step out of his house again, not when he had just returned from a long day of work and was already preparing for a good night's sleep. And especially not when the purpose of leaving his apartment had something to do with the flea.

But after hearing about the flea's condition from Shinra, somehow Shizuo felt compelled to see him. Just once. To make sure that Izaya wasn't up to his usual trickery and pulling a fast one on all of them.

Still, as he passed by the closed shops for the second time that night, Shizuo didn't stop questioning himself.

 _'Why am I doing this?'_ he kept thinking. _'Why, why, why?'_

Even though he had a default answer for that, Shizuo couldn't help but remain unconvinced.

It wasn't like the flea could deceive a doctor like Shinra; Shinra was probably one of the very few people in the world who could see through the flea, after all. And things like his vitals couldn't possibly be faked. Even if they could, there was no way Shinra wouldn't have noticed.

Which meant that Izaya wasn't lying. Which, therefore, meant that Shizuo had just lost his reason for walking over to Shinra's.

But that didn't stop him in his tracks and push him home. On the contrary, Shizuo just kept walking faster, his mind spinning with the same question: _'Why?'_

And then it hit him.

 _"Izaya is dying,"_ Shinra's words over the phone rang in his head.

 _"...That so?"_ Shizuo remembered himself saying. _"I don't really give a damn."_ Then he ended the call without giving Shinra the chance to say any more.

As he thought about this, Shizuo realised how much of a lie it was when he said he didn't care about Izaya's condition. Not that he was admitting that he _cared_ \- not in that sense of the word - but more like...he was anxious.

Orihara Izaya was dying.

His long-time enemy, dying.

The person he hated the most in the world was finally _dying_.

This anxiety that was coursing through Shizuo's veins wasn't because he was worried about the flea, but because his wish was coming true at last. It was like being filled with a child-like eagerness to see if Santa Claus or the tooth fairy really existed; the excitement one felt when they were about to see their dreams being realised.

But when he tried to imagine the flea lying motionless on the bed, his skin as pale as the sheets, Shizuo shook the mental image away. Even if it was the person who singlehandedly ruined his life and brought misery upon his friends, Shizuo  
didn't believe he'd be happy to see that very person dying.

Shizuo hung his head, slowing his steps as he arrived at the entrance of the lobby. If it wasn't for all the reasons that flashed through his mind earlier, then why the hell was he here at all? That was something Shinra would, no doubt, ask him when he showed up at the doctor's doorstep. Giving a lousy excuse like "I'm making sure the flea isn't messing with you" would probably earn him this annoyingly teasing and doubtful look from his whacky childhood friend, and Shizuo wanted to avoid that.

"Tch. This whole thing is pissing me off," Shizuo grumbled, folding his umbrella. "Ahh, whatever. I'll just tell Shinra I'm here to check on those kids."

It wasn't exactly a lie, since he really was a little worried about how they were doing. But he knew it was kind of weird to drop by to see them when it was Izaya dying in there; Shinra would most likely call him out on that. At this point, though, Shizuo couldn't care less.

Then, just as Shizuo stepped into the lobby, a distant voice spoke to him.

_"Shizu-chan."_

It was a voice that, oddly, sounded a lot like the flea’s.

_"Shizu-chan."_

Shizuo whipped around, only to find himself all alone in the lobby.

Shizuo shook his head and looked around him again. There was nothing out of the ordinary. All was silent.

"...Great. Just great. Not only was I seeing things, I'm starting to hear them, too."

As he said this, Shizuo recalled the series of images that were shown on his television earlier but quickly pushed them back.

_"Shizu-chan."_

His hand instinctively reached into his bartender vest and pulled out a cigarette. Placing it between his lips, the blond took out his lighter and lit the cigarette. He walked to the edge of the lobby until he was barely a tiny step away from the pavement and allowed himself to give in to the deceptively therapeutic comfort the toxic stick gave him.

It wasn't until he reached the end of his second stick that Shizuo entered the lift which would bring him to the floor where the underground doctor stayed.

***

When Shizuo arrived at the entrance to Shinra's apartment, he saw that the door was slightly ajar, and heard muffled voices that were engaged in a rather heated discussion.

Quietly, the fortissimo of Ikebukuro removed his shoes and ascended the platform. He closed and locked the door behind him before he made his way through the familiar walkway leading to the living room, where the door was left wide open.

"--my fault."

Shizuo came to a stop.

From the sound of the voice and the way everyone in the room stopped talking and turned to stare at a familiar blue-haired girl, Shizuo guessed that the one who had said that had probably been the detective.

"Why do you say so?" Shizuo heard Shinra ask.

The detective girl breathed in deeply before she released a sigh. "I knew...that Orihara-san had been the target all along."

"I thought we all knew that," the guy with brown hair and wearing headphones said.

"No, what I meant was...”  A pause. “Heiwajima-san had never been the target. It had only Orihara-san all along...and I knew that from the very beginning.”

Shizuo nearly blinked in surprise.

"Huh? But...why? I mean, didn't they both appear on the Midnight Channel together?" the girl who helped Shizuo out with the debtors asked.

The young detective nodded. "They did. But I believe that it was either an unintended or deliberate result on the culprit's part." Then she began to explain, "As for why I am certain that Orihara-san was the only target... I would have to trouble everyone to try and recall what the recent rumours mentioned about the discovery of Yagiri Seiji's body. Did they not say that two people found the body together? And that these two people are Orihara-san and Heiwajima-san?"

While the other occupants in the room tried to remember the exact content of said rumours, Shizuo couldn't help but frown.

He wasn't aware that there were such rumours circulating around Ikebukuro; Tom-san and Vorona barely ever mentioned a word of them. Aside from the night Shizuo left the police station after giving his statement, Celty hadn't asked him any further either. On his own part, Shizuo didn't feel the need to know what the public thought about it.

But they were wrong about something. And because he realised that, Shizuo was frowning.

Technically speaking, he didn't find the body. It was--

"Yeah, we remember, Naoto," the headphones guy said. "But why bring this up all of a sudden?"

The detective - Naoto - replied, "Because the key to solving the mystery lies there." She paused. "Heiwajima-san had no part in discovering the body. Orihara-san did."

Although he couldn't see from where he was standing, Shizuo was certain some of the room's occupants' eyes widened.

"B-but, weren't they together when the incident happened? I mean, Senpai and Yosuke-senpai talked to Simon-san, right? Didn't Simon-san say that they found the body together?" the girl with long, curly brown hair, whom Shizuo recognised as his brother’s colleague, pointed out.

"...No, he didn't," the grey-haired adolescent Souji answered, his voice carrying a calmness that Shizuo envied. "He did say that he saw Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san staring at the body when he arrived at the scene, but he couldn't be certain if they did find the body together."

"They didn't," Naoto said. "I've read the three main witnesses' statements. Heiwajima-san emphasised that he was following Orihara-san into the alley and came to stop when he saw Orihara-san looking at the lamppost, where the body was hanging from. Orihara-san also mentioned in his statement that Heiwajima-san arrived only a moment after he saw the body.

"If we are to go by the strict definition of the word...then the person who _found_ the body was only Orihara-san, while Heiwajima-san merely _saw_ the body which had already been found. Orihara-san being the only one who was thrown into the TV also fits with what happened to Konishi Saki-san two years ago, proving that he was indeed the culprit's true target."

"Th-then... The Midnight Channel showing two people at once was...?" the girl with her black hair tied in a bun trailed off.

Naoto nodded. "Either the culprit hadn't intended for it...or they were the ones responsible for spreading the false rumour. With how meticulous they appear to be, however, I am inclined to believe it is the latter. But of course, I have no concrete evidence to support that."

"And you knew all along? That the killer's target was Orihara-san?" Kujikawa bit her lower lip. "Is...is that why...?"

"I offered to protect him?" Naoto finished with a sigh that was directed at herself. "Well... There's...another reason for that, but...yes. Essentially that was the rationale behind my decision at that time."

Shizuo heard Shinra hum thoughtfully. "Okay, but how is knowing this linked to whatever guilt you may be feeling, Naoto-chan? I don't see anything wrong in keeping that knowledge a secret since it wouldn't have changed anything if everyone knew."

Naoto hesitated. "You may be right, Kishitani-sensei," she started after a while. "But it is precisely because of this knowledge that I should shoulder the blame for the misfortune that befell Orihara-san."

Shizuo saw one of the boys - bespectacled with a small stripe of bleached hair along his black hair - opening his mouth to retort that, but eventually he didn't, and folded his arms instead, keeping his eyes on the detective.

"Because..." Naoto continued. She was starting to sound scared, like a kid who got caught doing something wrong. "Despite knowing that Orihara-san was in danger, I had...let myself be affected by his words and left him unprotected. Left him vulnerable and open to the culprit's assault. That is simply...simply..."

Before Naoto could go on, her friends were quick to comfort her in their own ways. Some, though confused, giving her soothing and encouraging words; some watching her quietly but protectively, as if anticipating for the right moment to end the discussion there and then, and one who was panicking at the sight of his unsettled friend even offered to give her a hug. It was a tense yet heartwarming moment.

Naoto thanked her friends, but then she shook her head and casted her eyes to the ground. "To have my judgement clouded by my own emotions... It is an intolerable mistake. The sheer gravity of it is enough to sully the Shirogane name."

The detective clenched her fists, face reddening with either shame or anger, or maybe a little of both. Shizuo couldn't tell exactly, since the girl was still forcing herself to contain her emotions. He felt a chord strike within him at the sight.

"It is just...unacceptable..."

"Yeah? So what if you let your feelings get the better of you?"

Everyone turned towards the door as Shizuo casually stepped into the living room with both hands in his pockets.

"Happens to me all the time. 'Specially when I'm around the flea. Just seeing his face is enough to get my blood boiling. I mean, if I were you, I'd have tossed him out the window the moment I saw him." Shizuo paused. "You're pretty good already if you didn't do that. Or feel like doing that."

The group of kids and Celty continued staring at him in silence. Shingen, however, waved at the blond animatedly. "Oh, Shizuo-kun. How nice to see you again after so long. Here to visit Izaya-kun after knowing about his condition?"

"......Why are you here?"

"Well well, how rude! Can't a man be in his own home? Just because I don't come here often doesn't mean this isn't my home, you know. Oh, seriously, kids these days..."

As Shingen grumbled to himself, Shinra flashed Shizuo his professional smile. "So you're here to see Izaya after all? I thought you said you didn't care?"

Despite being prepared for that question, Shizuo couldn't help but grunt. "Shuddup. Who said I was here to see the flea? I was worried about these kids, so I'm here to check up on 'em."

"Even though you could've just called up and asked?" Shinra asked, giving the annoying look that Shizuo had been trying to avoid.

"I didn't think of that, alright?"

"Sure you didn't." Shinra got up from his seat. "Well, as you can see, they're doing fine. But if you're still concerned about their well-being, I'll issue a doctor's order for them to return home immediately to have their well-deserved rest. How does that sound?"

The adolescents looked like they were about to argue against Shinra's decision, but when their leader shook his head, they indignantly stopped themselves and said nothing in the end.

Shizuo just shrugged in response to Shinra's question.

Celty gently knocked against the table to gain everyone's attention. [I'll send them back. It's already late. And with how exhausted they must be, I don't think we should let them go home by themselves.]

"We can't possibly trouble--"

"It's settled, then," Shinra cut Souji off, giving him no room for any argument. The underground doctor turned to face Souji. "We'll continue this when everyone's rested."

Souji kept his intense gaze on Shinra, before he gave in and nodded. "...Alright."

Shinra beamed. "Well then! It's time for you to head home." Then he turned towards Shizuo. "So, Shizuo-kun, shall we go?"

"...Uh, go where?"

The corners of Shinra’s lips widened. "Why, to see Izaya, of course. Isn't that why you're here?"


	22. April 20 2013, Early Morning to Night

**April 20, 2013**

"--Well, that's basically the gist of it."

"..."

"The current plan is to just observe how he'll be doing for the next day or so, assuming his condition doesn't deteriorate suddenly. There's no telling when exactly Orihara-kun might recover. It may take days, weeks, maybe even months. But according to Father's recount of his experience in Tatsumi Port Island, there's a chance he might not even recover at all."

Shizuo made a noncommittal sound.

Shinra, who pretended not to have heard that, continued, "Celty and I will take turns watching him, and I'll try to remain at home during this critical period in case something does happen. Of course, I'm not saying that I hope for that, but since the degree of severity of Apathy Syndrome can fluctuate with no prior warning, I have to be here to keep Orihara-kun's vitals up." A pause. "And resuscitate him too, if necessary."

Shizuo slowly turned to face the underground doctor. "…That bad?"

"More than you and the others think." Shinra shrugged. "Well, there's nothing else I can say to convince you, if you're still skeptical."

"I'm not doubting you, I just--" Shizuo paused, the images of the Midnight Channel flashing through his mind. He looked away, directing his gaze to the semi-conscious informant on the bed. "...I just can't believe the flea went down just like that."

Shinra nodded with a thoughtful hum. "That's understandable. Anyone who knows who Orihara Izaya is and what he is capable of would be surprised to see him like this. Though it had always been a matter of time before Orihara-kun got his just desserts, really. Perhaps this is it."

Shizuo said nothing in response.

After a short moment of silence, Shizuo inched towards the side of the bed until he could take a closer look. His frown remained in its place, expression unchanging even as his eyed and brain registered the presence of the sickly flea before him. Shizuo merely stood there, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of Izaya's chest and listening to the stable beeping of the machine recording Izaya's heart rate.

It was such a surreal sight that Shizuo thought he was dreaming. This was _Izaya_ , of all people, lying motionless like a corpse before him. Over the past decade, Shizuo had hurled countless vending machines, trash cans, letter boxes - things that were fully capable of causing fatal injuries - at him, and the flea could take them and jump back to his feet like nothing happened. Yet now, he was reduced to such a state after some random stranger tossed him into a TV? Just what exactly was in there that could make even the flea turn out like this?

The only answer that Shizuo could give himself came in the form of his memories of the Midnight Channel resurfacing in his mind.

"Hey, Shinra?"

"Yes? What is it?"

Shizuo didn't reply immediately. Instead he took a moment to contemplate further, after realising that he had asked the question without giving it any thought at all. Once he decided on how to phrase his words, Shizuo tilted his head to the side slightly and said, "When it was midnight... Did you see anything show up on your TV?"

"If you're referring to Izaya being suffocated by a large black mass made up of those Shadow creatures, then yes, I did. In fact I was - and still am - surprised that I couldn't find any strangulation marks on him when Souji-kun and his friends brought him in."

"...How the hell can you say that so calmly like it's got nothing to do with you?"

"Because that's precisely it. It has nothing to do with me." Without paying any attention to whatever Shizuo's reaction might have been, Shinra went on to say, maintaining his detached tone, "At this moment, Orihara-kun is simply a patient under my care. Nothing more, nothing less. To attach some kind of emotional value to a patient would prevent a doctor from discharging his duties professionally. So if you want me to give him the best treatment possible, I have to keep an objective viewpoint."

"Bullshit. You just don't want Celty to see that you're worried about the flea. You know that she doesn't exactly like him, so you're pretending that you don't care."

"Well, I won't deny that. And I won't confirm that, either." Shinra shifted his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "But more importantly, what you said got me curious, Shizuo-kun. What brought on this concern you're feeling for Izaya all of a sudden? Haven't you always hated him? Why question my attitude towards his current predicament, if that’s the case?"

Shizuo snapped, "I'm not worried about the flea. I'm pissed that you can be so indifferent to him and still call yourself his friend."

Shinra sighed. "Like I said before, Orihara-kun is more of a bad acquaintance who stuck than a friend to me. It's no surprise that I can be indifferent towards him. Honestly I can't wait till I'll finally be free of him."

"Can you just stop referring to the flea by two different names and stick to one, by the way? You've been interchanging between 'Orihara-kun' and 'Izaya' all this while and it's starting to get on my nerves."

"I don't see where you're coming from. Don't you occasionally call Orihara-kun by name on top of calling him a 'flea'? It doesn't really bother anybody that much, so why are you so bothered by how I choose to call him?"

Shizuo looked like he was about to retort, but decided against it in the end, seeing that his current debate with Shinra was going nowhere. Instead he sighed, and turned his back on the underground doctor.

The tense silence that descended lasted for a long time, though Shizuo couldn't tell how long exactly. But when he finally decided that it lasted long enough, he turned, but found that Shinra was nowhere to be seen. He had somehow left the room without Shizuo realising it - or perhaps Shizuo was too bothered by their earlier argument that he didn't notice Shinra leaving. Either way, Shinra had left him alone with Izaya in the room at some point in time. Whether it was out of exasperation from dealing with him or because of the misconception that he came to visit the flea, Shizuo didn't know.

All he did know, was that he had made the crazy decision to come here for some unknown reason, Izaya was probably doomed to a life of lying in bed and muttering gibberish, and Shinra was being an unnaturally apathetic bastard. And that, ironically enough, it was a bunch of kids who knew next to nothing about the flea that were worried sick about the flea.

It didn't make sense. _Everything_ about this didn't make sense.

Shizuo ran his hand through his hair but said nothing as he kept his eyes on Izaya. Then, just as quietly, he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

And all was silent in the room, except for the beeping of the heart monitor measuring Izaya's pulse rate; the only piece of convincing evidence that he was still alive as he laid unconscious, completely unresponsive to the world around him.

***

The early Saturday morning passed with no incident. In particular, nothing sudden happened to Orihara-san during the period of time the Investigation Team members spent recuperating from rushing through the entire dungeon. At least, nobody received any notification from Kishitani-sensei about the raven's latest condition.

Just as she had promised, Celty-san sent them back to their respective residences - the boys to Souji's and the girls to Naoto's - after they had given the long recount of their experiences in the TV world back in Inaba and everything they knew about Shadows and Personas, among many other things. It had been rather difficult to get the rest they deserved, knowing about Orihara-san's condition and the fact that it was their responsibility, but the weariness from the time spent inside the TV quickly caught up with them eventually.

When they next opened their eyes, the sun had already risen, showering upon the citizens of Ikebukuro with its cool spring warmth and light. For the few moments following that, all was normal for the members of the Investigation Team. They washed up or had a fresh change of clothes, and checked their refrigerators and ate their breakfast. For some, they made a short trip to the nearest convenience store to stock up on bread and drinks.

After the usual morning business was done, the team temporarily went on their separate ways as they embarked on their own schedules: Souji and Yosuke headed down to Raira University; Chie left to help Heiwajima-san out on his job; Kanji tried to catch up on his academic work by checking the emails he received from Naoki about what he missed; Rise went to entertain the press; Naoto stayed at home to do some research, and Yukiko and Teddie took this opportunity to pay Orihara-san a visit.

All in all, it was a relatively peaceful morning.

But that illusionary sense of serenity vanished when they gathered at a large enough table at the Raira University campus canteen, after Souji and Yosuke's lessons ended, to discuss further the situation at hand.

"...How is he?" Yosuke started the discussion by asking.

"The same as when we found him," Yukiko replied, casting her eyes downward. "But he's stable. Physically speaking."

"...Oh. Well. That's, um..."

Yosuke trailed off, leaving behind a silence that nobody else felt like breaking.

Realising this, the young manager quickly shook her head. "I-I'm not saying that he's not. M-mentally, I mean. It's just..." Her fingers curled into fists on her lap. "...Kishitani-sensei said that he's studied previous cases of Apathy Syndrome that took place four years ago. All of the patients who recovered shared one thing in common, and that was the fact that they couldn't remember anything during the period of time they were suffering from the condition. But they do remember vague memories of what had happened right before they started suffering from it."

"And these are often memories of seeing pools of blood and coffins, or being in a strange room with walls that were bleeding...as well as something like a thick, black shadow trying to suffocate them," Naoto elaborated. When the attention turned towards her, she briefly explained, "I have been doing my own reading as well."

Rise drew in a sharp breath. "Wait. Are you saying that these people and Orihara-san are...?"

"They were traumatised," Souji answered calmly.

"Precisely," Naoto said, nodding. "It's likely, considering the unpredictably violent nature of Shadows, that they might have been slowly torturing their victims by suffocating them while implanting images associated with death in their minds...or even possibly flooding the victims' minds with all the negativity that the Shadows are made up from. As a result, the victims…” Naoto ended off with a sigh.

Rise paled, more so than the others did. With a Persona like Kanzeon, who possessed purely advanced Scanning abilities, she would know more than anyone else on the team - with Teddie being a possible exception - the extent to which the horrifying feeling of analysing a Shadow would have on a Scanner.

If she had to describe it, she would describe it as having to sieve through the raw rush of negative emotions - the ones that stood out most were anger, sorrow, and pity, all of which were mostly directed at oneself - and the memories of events that led up to the buildup of such negativity. It was frightening and cold... But most importantly, it was saddening. Knowing that these were a representation of somebody's darkest, most private emotions made the entire process seem even more uncomfortable for Rise.

And when she imagined all of that strong, powerful negativity creeping into her mind and eventually overpowering it...

"That's horrible..." Rise mumbled, not knowing whether it was a reply to Naoto's claim or a just subconscious comment on her part. But it was most likely both.

"So that's what happens when your Shadow tries to kill you?" Kanji asked, looking just as unsettled. "Stuffs your mind with all the horrible shit till you literally shut down? If that's not messed up, I don't know what is."

The rest of the team turned to stare at him with expressions of mild surprise. When he realised that nobody had spoken after he did, and that everybody wouldn't look away from him, Kanji nearly fidgeted in his seat. "...What?" he said with uncertainty tracing his voice. "Was it somethin' I said?"

"I never thought of it that way," Naoto replied, regarding Kanji with a sense of admiration. In just a matter of days, the bespectacled young man had left quite the impression on the fifth in the Shirogane line of detectives, a stark contrast to the image of mystery and utter perplexity she once had of him for a little under two years.

 _'Has he always been this perceptive?'_ Naoto wondered. She thought back to her interactions with Tatsumi, but could only recall his strange words and shifty behaviour which usually made her confused. _'But even so, that doesn't mean he isn't.'_

Kanji's question brought Naoto back to the present. "Never thought of...what that way?" He frowned slightly. The stares were becoming more annoying and unsettling with each passing second to him.

Naoto made eye contact with Kanji, being careful not to be reabsorbed in her own thoughts. "The possibility that that is exactly how the Shadows kill their victims," she answered. "During that period of time two years ago, all of us had been so focused on solving the case that we never once questioned how the Shadows killed their victims exactly, or the reasoning behind the state and location the bodies were found in after they had died in the TV world. We simply invested our time and energy into solely finding the perpetrator, thinking that by doing so we would have been seeking the truth, but in reality, there are still so many questions that have been left unanswered all this while. And we never realised it."

"Of course... That must be why this is all happening again." Yukiko lowered her gaze. "All along, we thought we had solved the case, but the truth is...we didn't. And someone - the true culprit - took advantage of that." A look of shame and guilt crossed her features. "And because of our carelessness, Orihara-san is now..."

"I know how you feel, Yukiko," Chie spoke soothingly, in spite of the similar, creeping guilt that she tried to ignore. "But beating ourselves up over something that's happened won't accomplish anything. What's done is done. Just... Just don't think about it anymore."

"What Satonaka said," Yosuke agreed. He looked across the table, meeting everyone's eyes. "I know, it's hard to ignore that we're responsible for what happened and that it's a really crappy feeling. But listen, guys. Don't forget, Orihara-san is still alive. Shouldn't that be something we oughtta be happy about? Even just a little? I mean, when we finally got to him, we didn't think he'd make it, but look at him now. He's still hanging in there. Shouldn't we be doing the same?"

"There are still some doubts we need to clarify," Souji added. "Finding the answers to them may lead us to a way to cure Orihara-san of his Apathy Syndrome. We don't have time to reproach ourselves. If we're truly sorry, then all the more we need to focus on our investigation."

The table was silent again as its occupants pondered over those words of encouragement. Then they nodded, but it still wasn't an easy agreement.

"We need to start right from the beginning," Naoto spoke from her own experience. "What did we miss? What didn't we see? There's no doubt that what we're facing now is linked to the case in Inaba, so anything, even the smallest detail, might be vital. Therefore, I urge everyone, including myself, to think back to what happened in Inaba, and see if there was anything amiss that we didn't address."

"Well, that's easy enough, come to think of it," Yosuke said, sparking off the list of unanswered questions that the team compiled by the end of their discussion.

For one thing - there was Teddie and his unexplained disappearance.

Even Teddie himself didn't exactly know, let alone begin to understand, what had happened to him at that time.

When the rest of the team, sans Souji, asked him about it, Teddie could only give a simple answer to the best of his ability: that he, being a Shadow, had to return to the Shadow World, believing that to be the solution to Nanako's condition. But where he had ended up, and _how_ he could have gone there - and, for Souji, _why_ Teddie wound up in the Velvet Room - were details Teddie didn't know of.

Following this was, naturally, the big question about Nanako's condition in the first place.

What was she suffering from, exactly? The doctor could only provide evasive answers though it certainly wasn't his fault, seeing that the condition stemmed from an exposure to the TV world, something an ordinary person wouldn’t normally know about. Teddie had mentioned once that since Nanako was a child, she was probably more sensitive to the effects of the fog, but what were these effects, then? Could it be to turn normal people into Shadows, as Adachi had said? But why would age be a factor if the fog was meant to turn everyone, regardless of their age, into Shadows?

That meant there could have been another reason for Nanako's peculiar condition, but then that begged the question: What was it? Souji suggested that it might have had been due to her cold back then, which did make sense as the fog could have simply aggravated her cold, causing her to become so sickly. An unintended effect of the fog, probably. But until they found concrete evidence, this would not go beyond a mere conjecture on the team's part.

Combining the two major questions together led to another: Why would Teddie's disappearance result in Nanako's miraculous recovery?

Or was it even because of Teddie's disappearance at all?

Once the Investigation Team had these few questions to ponder about, the others came naturally.

The sudden appearance of the Malevolent Entity.

What the Malevolent Entity's purpose was; how deeply involved he was in the murder case, or if he was even involved at all.

The fact that they weren't the only Persona-users in the world - and the fact that their Personas worked rather differently from the other users' they met.

Robots that were designed to wield Personas; the existence of corporations that designed and created these robots.

There were so many questions, so many doubts, that the more they discussed, the more confused and lost the team got until Souji decided to put an end to it.

"I think we have more than enough to start on for now," he said. "Let's try to sort our thoughts out first before we move on."

And so on that note the Investigation Team resumed their discussion, the only thing they could do at this point in time while clinging onto the hope that the latest victim to the case would be able to make it through.

***

_'...Again.'_

_A cold gust of wind. A giddying sensation._

_'I'm here at this place...again...'_

_Here in the world of nothing but dense, white fog._

_When he tried to take a step like he always did, however, he found his foot meeting the air._

_Shaking the dizziness away, he glanced down, and saw that his feet were not touching solid ground._

_That was when he noticed the drunken feeling of something akin to floating in the clouds._

_It was such a soothing sensation that he couldn't help but fully immerse himself in the therapeutic energy, like falling backwards into a swimming pool and allowing the water pull him in._

_"Sleep..."_

_He heard the familiar voice whisper to him, as though the stranger was right beside him._

_And then, as if the voice had just muttered a spell, all he saw was darkness._

***

When he next came to, he found himself staring at a ceiling dyed deep sapphire blue, lying on some soft, velvet material directly on his back.

"Ah, are you awake?"

A woman's voice had spoken.

Turning his head, he strained to look at the blonde dressed in blue sitting on a cushion stool across him.

"Do not worry. My master has gone on an errand, and he won't be returning so shortly. He is unaware that I have called you here. We may have our conversation in peace."

Groggily, he pushed himself up into an upright position, and nodded as if he understood what the woman was referring to.

"I called you here because I have a question I'd like to ask you," she said. "But first, I must apologise."

He stared at her in confusion, choosing to remain silent as a prompt for her to continue.

"It is in relation to the vision you had seen," the blonde explained vaguely. "The world that you saw - the expanse of white and fog... That is what lies beyond the boundaries of the Velvet Room."

Souji's eyes widened slightly, but when he thought further about this, it all started to make sense.

Why he had found the place familiar; why his strange dreams of late occurred only when there were new developments to the case.

He had been drifting into the realm that served as the transition between the real world and the Velvet Room all along.

"However," Margaret continued, "it is not a place where a human soul such as your own can freely tread upon without any consequences. If I had noticed any later, there would have been grave ramifications to your soul, and that is simply not acceptable."

"...But I don't understand," Souji said, after remaining silent all this while. "Why are you apologising? I should be thanking you for noticing and saving me before anything bad happened."

"The fact that I failed to notice the abnormality earlier remains, dear guest. The only reason your soul is still intact is because my master is the one who had been pulling you back in in the previous occurrences." Margaret lowered her gaze to the Le Grimoire she held on her lap. "Before my master left on his errand, he reminded me to keep vigilant, and to ensure the integrity of your soul should anything out of the ordinary happen. Yet I did not even detect your presence until I felt a disturbance in your soul. If I had been any later... Well, even my master does not know what would become of you, then."

Souji said nothing.

There was something about Margaret's tone; her expression and language that oddly reminded him of someone. Someone familiar.

_'Naoto.'_

She was the first to come to mind.

The way Shirogane had been acting out of sorts lately, especially when Orihara-san was involved. Struggling to keep her emotions in check, making sure she wasn't making irrational decisions or being too sentimental; making sure she remained objective, just as her profession required her to be. Sandwiched between her obligation and personal feelings.

The way she shouldered all the blame when misfortune struck him, refusing to forgive herself and doing all she could to compensate him. Being so unnecessarily hard on herself when the fault clearly didn't lie on her alone, or even at all.

Naoto was very much like Margaret in those regards.

But while Souji could never tell for sure whether Margaret did so much for him out of duty or otherwise, he was certain that Naoto had long overstepped her boundaries as a detective from the very beginning. Not just for Orihara alone, but also for the team by accepting the case that the Ikebukuro police force proposed to her.

It wasn't something he felt he had the right to comment on, however.

"...I see. So it was the Wheel of Fortune, after all."

Souji blinked out of his stupor.

Faint red lighted Margaret's cheeks. "Ah, my apologies. I understand this...'ability' of mine may still be too uncomfortable a notion for you, but..."

"No, it's not that," Souji replied politely. "It's just... What did you mean by 'after all'? Did you and Igor know from the start that Naoto...?"

The blush instantly vanished as Margaret quickly regained her composure. "That is something I am not allowed to elaborate at this time," she said. "However, I can tell you this... You must look beyond what lies in front of you."

"What lies...in front of me?" Souji glanced to the floor before he looked up into the blonde’s sharp, golden eyes. "Like how this isn't the real Velvet Room, and is only a fraction of it?"

"What you can see may just be part of a bigger truth, or part of an equally large lie," Margaret said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Souji's claim, "but remember this, dear guest: without that very piece, what you would know as a truth or lie will cease to exist...and another will take its place."

"......"

"...I've said too much, it seems."

Souji's vision started to blur.

"Ah, how timely. It seems that you are beginning to awaken in the human world."

_'What...? Already?'_

There were still so many things he didn't understand, so many things he wanted to know.

"Well then, until next time, my dear--"

"Wait."

Despite the familiar dizziness, Souji remained lucid enough to speak.

Margaret stared back at him coolly, awaiting whatever he wanted to say.

"Didn't you tell me that there was something you wanted to ask?" Souji raised a hand to his head. "What...was it...?"

Margaret smiled.

"It has already been answered."

And then, before Souji could think of replying, his consciousness drifted away.

 


	23. April 26, 2013

**April 26, 2013**

"This is so strange. So very strange."

"...Concur (Agreed)..."

"Right? How can this be possible? We've been looking for our horrible brother since forever and we still haven't found him. Ohh, Iza-nii's gonna get it from us now, making his adorable younger sisters run all over Tokyo just to look for him."

"...Amendment (Correction)... Investigate (We've only been checking)... Districts... (Ikebukuro and Shinjuku)... Surroundings (and the districts nearby)..."

"Aw, Kuru-nee, that doesn't matter. Nobody needs to know all the details. Besides, it gives us a better reason to send Iza-nii flying right into a truck when we see him."

"...Logic (That makes sense)..."

"Ugh, seriously, I feel like we've been here a million times already. Maybe we should start exploring the other parts of Tokyo instead. I don't wanna risk running into Shizuo-san again anyway. What do you think, Kuru-nee?"

"......"

"Hm? Kuru-nee? What's up? You're staring into space. Did you think of something? An idea of where Iza-nii may be? Ne, Kuru-nee? Did you? Ne--owowowow...!"

"...Quiet (Shut up)... Mind (I'm trying to think)..."

"Owwww... But you didn't have to use the pepper spray just to get me to shut up, Kuru-nee."

"...Disturbance (But you were being so noisy)... Temptation (I couldn't help it)..."

"Ugh, so cruel. Okay, okay, you win, Kuru-nee. So? Did you think of something?"

"...Miss (I lost track)... Blame (It's all your fault)..."

"Ehhhh. So I got sprayed for nothing? Or was Kuru-nee just making up an excuse to fulfill her sadistic tendencies--owowowow!"

"...Annoyance (You're getting on my nerves)..."

"So cruel, so cruel. Words can't even begin to describe how terrible a sister Kuru-nee is..."

"...Irony (Like you're any better)..."

"There's no beating Iza-nii, though. He's simply the worst!"

"...Absolute (That's a fact that will never change)..."

"Why are we even looking for him? Why? For all we know, he could be watching and laughing at us from some high building for running around like headless chickens."

"...Mystery (I don't understand why either)..."

"Right? It's so strange, right? Ne, are _we_ strange too, Kuru-nee? Are we being strange for wanting to find Iza-nii?"

"......"

"...Everything's so strange..."

***

It had become some sort of a routine. One that didn't bother him too much, strangely enough.

Six days had passed since Izaya was brought in. Though to be more precise, it was already approaching the end of the seventh day, and Izaya had not shown an inkling of recovery throughout his stay. There were times when it looked as if he had recognised them as he stared at Shinra and Celty's presence and blinked slowly when they asked him questions, but the usual shine in his eyes was never there.

After monitoring Izaya's condition for the past week, Shinra theorised that Apathy Syndrome was, essentially, apathy in the greatest extremity. It wasn't like indifference or aloofness to something in general; not like somebody who was, say, relatively indifferent to the sad plight of a friend or expressionless when faced with a grotesque image, as a normal person might try to explain. Neither was it mere nonchalance towards one's surroundings or even towards oneself, as Shinra had initially believed.

It was the fact that the brain itself had stopped "caring" to function.

Not in the debilitating sense akin to brain death, no, but enough to warrant grave concern.

Because if the patient didn't recover soon, it would only be a matter of time before his entire body shut down.

Seemingly minor things that most people often took for granted: sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch. These five senses were all subject to Apathy Syndrome's influence - precisely because the brain had stopped functioning in the way it was supposed to. Patients could still use their five senses; could still recognise what they were seeing or smelling or touching. But somehow the part of the brain that coordinated the response towards the object they were sensing was not sending out any of the impulses necessary to initiate the response. And that was where the main problem lied.

Because of his condition, Izaya had been rendered unable to recognise hunger.

Or, rather, his body recognised that it was deprived of food and water, but Izaya himself couldn't care less.

And so by extension, there was another even more worrying possibility, one that convinced Shinra and Celty to remain by the informant's side as long and often as they could.

The possibility that Izaya could stop breathing entirely without any warning.

It wasn't like it was going to happen soon. Or that Shinra was certain it would happen at all. However that didn't change the fact that it was the main cause of death among the patients afflicted with the condition in Tatsumi Port Island.

And if it did happen...

"...Then Orihara-kun had died the moment he entered the TV," Shinra said.

He was as good as dead the way he was now, so what difference did it make?

[Don't say that.] Celty replied after she had finished wiping Izaya's face with a wet cloth. [We don't know for sure if Izaya won't recover.]

"But as a doctor, I've done all that I can." Shinra smiled wryly; he couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy at seeing Celty treat someone other than himself with such tender care. "I never thought I'd ever say this, because it's so cheesy... But whether Orihara-kun has a chance of recovery will depend on his own willpower now. Of course, knowing him, there's no doubt about his will to live, but I can't say for certain if the Orihara-kun right before us now even has a will of his own anymore."

 _'That's right,'_ Shinra thought to himself. _'Rather than the failure of the brain to function properly, it's more like...Orihara-kun has been robbed of his will. His personality; the very essence that made Izaya Izaya. And with that taken away, he's been reduced to a state like this.'_

It was the cruellest form of punishment to a person like Izaya. Too fitting a punishment for it to be a mere coincidence.

After all, what better way was there to teach Orihara Izaya a lesson than to take away his own self - something he had so much pride in - and drag him down to the pits? Take away his love, his passion for life, and leave behind a hollow shell that no longer felt anything?

[I won't forgive whoever did this.] Celty said, her fingers curling into a fist. Her actions and words interrupted Shinra's train of thought.

The underground doctor chuckled. "You're really worried about him, huh?"

Celty was quick to respond. [N-no! Uh, well, yes, but--]

"I understand what you mean, Celty. You don't have to say anything." Shinra walked over towards her and helped soak the towel in the bowl of water. Keeping his gaze on what he was doing, he said, "You were about to explain that no matter what kind of person Izaya is, nobody deserves this kind of treatment, and so you're starting to feel sorry that he's in this plight now. But at the same time, you believe that it's precisely because that it's Izaya that he got what he deserved, and so you're feeling like you're letting down the people whose lives he had ruined by pitying him.

"Because I'm the same, Celty," Shinra said, wringing the cloth. "I know how you feel because I'm feeling the exact same way."

He didn't say this to please or reassure Celty. He really meant it.

Ever since Shizuo gave him that scolding a few days ago, Shinra had been thinking. Reconsidering his stand on all that had happened, his view on his friendship with Izaya.

"But whenever I think of that, I would remember my promise to you. That when the time comes, we would escape from Izaya's grasp together, no matter what happens." Shinra dabbed the wet cloth on Izaya's forehead, like tapping a piece of cotton wool soaked with antiseptic on an open wound. "But Celty... Izaya's my friend. He might have done a lot of horrible things, but he's still my friend. So if anything happens to him, I don't think I'll be able to ignore it after all."

And it was this feeling, this concern, that made Shinra feel horribly guilty. For it was almost akin to breaking that promise he made to Celty. Almost akin to admitting that he wasn't ready to cut Izaya completely off from his life, despite everything.

Six days back, when Shizuo questioned him, Shinra had acted as if he didn't care. But that was just a front; a facade he had put up for the sake of Celty, as Shizuo had said. If Celty, who had many reasons to detest Izaya, had known that Shinra was actually worried, then Celty would be caught in a difficult position, and Shinra didn't want that.

But Shinra didn't expect to be caught in that position himself.

Celty meant the world to him. His everything; the only person who mattered. So why was he feeling worried about someone who wasn't supposed to mean anything?

[...Shinra.]

The underground doctor turned, giving Celty a forced smile. "Please don't look so sad, Celty. And don't apologise, please. It isn't something you should feel responsible for." He paused to glance at his unconscious friend, removing the cloth to soak it in the pan. "It's me," he said. "I'm the one who can't let it go like it never happened. Weird, huh? I always tell you that you’re the world to me, and yet..."

Celty held her hand out, wrapping it around Shinra's. [It's nothing to feel guilty about, Shinra. In fact, I'm relieved.]

"Relieved?" Shinra asked, looking at her.

Celty nodded. [I used to worry you wouldn't have any friends because of me. So when you told me about Izaya, I was really happy. Even until now, I'm still glad you had - and still have - him as a friend.] A pause. [Don't isolate yourself from the world around you, Shinra. I don't want you to give that up because of me.]

"But Celty--"

[No, Shinra. No matter how much you try to argue against it, it doesn't change the fact that I'm responsible for how you've turned out. Everything you do and say is for my sake, or for our relationship's sake, and I appreciate it. I really do. But Shinra, that's not healthy for you. I shouldn't be the only thing that matters to you. That's why I wanted you to have friends of your own, so that you can understand and recognise that there's still something worth your attention other than me. Especially since I’m...]

"Celty…?”

[...Look at Souji-kun and the others.] Celty continued. [Look at Izaya.]

Shinra remained silent, tilting his head slightly to glance at the television screen in his living room and then at the motionless man on the bed.

[This is what happens when you're too deeply involved with the supernatural, Shinra. Souji-kun and the others have to put their lives on the line, and Izaya was lucky to escape with his life, but nobody can say for sure that the same will happen if something similar happens again. And I...] The Dullahan's fingers began to tremble. [I... I don't want you ending up in that sort of danger.]

Shinra stared at Izaya with a stoic expression, contemplating Celty's words before he finally turned to her and smiled.

"Celty really is the best thing that has ever happened to me," he said, walking towards his beloved and pulling her into an embrace. "But Celty... This is what a normal life means to me. Even for people who know nothing about the supernatural, no one can guarantee they'll be able to return home safe and sound, but that doesn't stop people from loving someone. And if having my life revolve solely around you is going to invite danger for me, then I don't mind it as long as I'm with you.

"But Izaya and Shizuo-kun are different. I admit it now, I don't think I'll ever be able to ignore my friendship with them, but you matter more to me than they do, Celty. No matter who it is, you take priority over them. So even though there may be other things worth my attention, ultimately you are at the centre of it all." Shinra tightened his embrace. "I just need you in my life."

Shinra was even more certain of that fact now than ever.

Regardless of whatever he did, it would be meaningless if Celty wasn't part of his life. Even if she found him to be leading an unhealthy life or he would someday risk facing grave danger because of his relationship with her, all Shinra wanted was for Celty to remain by his side. 

It was a selfish wish, and he knew it. And he was sure Celty knew, too. But in spite of that, she loved him, to the point that she wanted him to distance himself from her for his own sake. But that was why he knew he needed her all the more.

After all, how could he bring himself to distance himself from the person who loved him and whom he loved so much?

Wasn't it precisely because of the fragility of human life that he ought to treasure every moment he had with her without fear?

Celty returned the embrace, letting her shadow type out her heartfelt reply. [I need you, too.]

Shinra's smile widened.

"Heeeeey, Cel-chan! Shinra-san! Ah, oops."

The couple immediately parted from each other at the sound of somebody yelling, before they realised and recognised the voice to be Teddie's. True enough, there was the blond, standing by the doorway with widened eyes and a hand covering his gaping jaw. 

"Ehehe... Um, sorry, did I just ruin your, uh, _moment_?"

"Oh, not at all, not at all," Shinra replied with an unnatural cheer. Celty turned away with a poof of smoke from her neck. "So, you're done with the investigation for the day?"

"Yup! Sensei and the others are making their way back now," Teddie said with an energetic nod.

Then, as if his words were magic, the familiar ripples surfaced on the television screen, and not long after, Souji and his teammates crawled out one by one.

They all looked the same as before they had gone in: still neat and proper, equipped with their special eye ware, and had no obvious bruises or injuries. To normal people who knew nothing of what the group of teenagers were doing, they might be relieved to see that they were safe and that nothing major had happened. But to Shinra and Celty, who understood the team's purpose in re-entering the TV world, they were also apprehensive about the outcome of the team's search after noticing that they were mostly unharmed and free from grime or dust on top of their concern for their welfare.

"I take it you couldn't find him?" Shinra asked.

With a quiet sigh, Souji shook his head. "We've looked everywhere, but the fortress was nowhere in sight. There were no signs of his presence anymore either."

"It was a weak signal, as usual," Rise said, exhaustion evident in her voice. "I still can't tell whether it was the remains of the fortress or Orihara-san's Shadow I was sensing. It was just too weak for me to tell."

"Ugh, this sucks." Yosuke folded his arms, throwing the floor a glare. "It's been days, and still nothing. Nada. Zip. It doesn't make any sense. I mean, putting the Shadow aside, how could a whole dungeon disappear without a trace just like that?"

"And it's not just the fortress," said Yukiko. "The Shadows that usually wandered around the area are gone, too. They had been steadily decreasing over the past few days, but today they've all vanished. It's extremely unusual..."

"...Were we too late after all?"

Silence fell after Naoto whispered the terrifying thought that had been on her friends' and her mind.

[It's alright. You all did what you could do. What's more important now is for you to rest.]

The team did not reply, and the silence lingered before Chie decided it was best to switch topics.

"How's Orihara-san, by the way? Is he getting any better?" she asked.

Shinra shrugged. "There hasn't been any changes. But that's a good thing, I guess. No news is good news, as the saying goes."

Souji nodded curtly. "At least he's still alive," he said. "That's all that matters for now."

Shinra and Celty couldn't have agreed more.

***

**CHATROOM**

_Setton-san has logged in._

_Tanaka Tarou_  
Oh, Setton-san! Good evening.

 _Setton_  
Ah, good evening.

 _Setton_  
It's just the two of us online today?

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
No, Bakyura-san, Kyo-san and Mai-san were here earlier. But they've all left because they have something to do.

 _Setton_  
I see...

 _Setton_  
I'm surprised you're still online, then. Especially when it's so late. Are you waiting for someone to log in?

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Ah...yes.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Though it seems she won't be online today, as usual.

 _Setton_  
...Can I...ask who it is?

 _Setton_  
Oh but if you're not comfortable with telling me, it's perfectly fine!

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Ahaha, it's fine, Setton-san. I've been meaning to ask if you've seen her anyway.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
It's Kanra-san.

 _Setton_  
A-ahh, Kanra. I see...

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Lately Bakyura-san and the others have been wondering about her too. Do you happen to know whether she's alright?

 _Setton_  
I'm sorry, I haven't heard anything.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Yeah, that's what I thought... Seems like nobody knows what happened to her.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
But still, thank you, Setton-san.

 _Setton_  
No, I should apologise... I'm sorry I'm not of any help.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Please don't say that, Setton-san.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Well... I guess I should get going now. I'll come back tomorrow.

 _Setton_  
Um, I'm not sure that's a good idea if you're trying to find Kanra-san.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
?

 _Setton_  
Ah, no, I mean...

 _Setton_  
Since nobody has heard of anything about Kanra-san for the past few days, then maybe she's trying to stay hidden. And since she's going to such lengths to stay hidden, then it might be something serious.

 _Setton_  
So I don't think she'll be coming to the chatroom anytime soon.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Hmm… That’s true.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Kanra-san is involved in a rather dangerous job after all, right?

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Maybe she's found out something but can't risk anyone finding her.

 _Setton_  
Yes, that might be it.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
I see. I understand.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Thank you, Setton-san. I'll still drop by tomorrow, though. I hope to catch up with the other users in this chatroom.

 _Setton_  
Of course. Then I'll try to do the same.

 _Tanaka Tarou_  
Well then, good night, Setton-san.

 _Setton_  
Good night.

_Tanaka Tarou-san has left the chatroom._

_Setton-san has left the chatroom._

_Nobody is in the chatroom now._

_Nobody is in the chatroom now._

_... ..._

***

"...Annoying."

That had been the first thing Shizuo said once he bumped into Simon after parting ways with Tom and Vorona.

"It's so annoying."

"What annoys you so?" Simon asked, before he held up his flyers in an innocent manner.

Shizuo waved it off, holding a lit cigarette between his fingers. "I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about...this." He spat out the last word as a growl.

"'This'?"

"This. I mean... _this._ "

Simon simply stared at Shizuo, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Shizuo sighed exasperatedly. "This...this whole week. It's been too peaceful. Way too peaceful if you ask me."

His answer only served to add to Simon's confusion. "But peace is good. Peace like sushi. Eat sushi, get peace."

"Yeah, I get what you mean..." A pause. "Uh, actually, not really. But anyway, Simon. What I'm tryin' to say is, this peace is way too unnatural. And it's pissing me off."

Simon's frown deepened. "You do not want peace?"

"It's not that I don't want it. I mean, it's something I've been asking for all my life, but..." Shizuo trailed off, taking a moment to consider how to phrase his next words, "...but I'm not getting a good feeling about this so-called peace. It's like... I get the feeling that somebody's watching. Somebody like the flea. And call me nuts or whatever, but it really doesn't help that I've been hearing him call my name the past week even though he's never there when that happens."

Simon said nothing, and kept his gaze on his friend before he replaced his serious expression with a welcoming smile on his face as he greeted passers-by and handed them flyers.

Shizuo remained where he was - leaning against the wall of a nearby building by the pavement where Simon did his promotion - and brought the cigarette to his lips, taking a deep breath from it.

"I see,” the Russian said, breaking the silence. “So you miss Izaya."

The fortissimo of Ikebukuro choked on his cigarette.

"What the--where the hell did _that_ come from?!"

Simon turned towards him, the smile wiped clean from his face.

"Not that meaning," the Russian said. "Trouble in Ikebukuro, always involve Izaya. Now no trouble, still believe Izaya's involvement. So I say to you, Shizuo: not everything Izaya's fault. You too used to Izaya's meddling, you paranoid about peace and even hear his voice. It almost like you want something to happen so that you have reason to blame Izaya for it. That is what I mean by 'You miss Izaya'."

"......"

"You no wrong to think that, Shizuo. But it not healthy thinking, no no."

Was that it? Was that really true?

Shizuo wondered about what Simon said as he took another whiff of his cigarette.

Maybe, to some extent, it had been true, since what Simon said did make sense, but it wasn't like Ikebukuro had never known peace in all her life. Shizuo had gone through long periods of time where nothing major really happened, and yet he never felt that something was amiss during those times. All along, it was only when something did happen - usually something bad - that Shizuo could smell Izaya's dirty involvement in the incident. Never at times of tranquillity.

But this time, the past week had been too peaceful to be true.

Shizuo was half-convinced that it had something to do with all the weirdness lately: the body hanging from the lamppost, TVs that came alive on rainy nights, things like Personas and Shadows...

Then there was also the fact that Izaya, _the_ Orihara Izaya, somehow got himself caught and tossed into a TV, was subject to this large black mass' strangling and suffocation, and was now practically lying on his deathbed.

And right after all that messed up stuff was just a week's worth of peace? How was he _not_ supposed to believe that the whole thing was too suspicious to ignore?

Not only that, but he had been hearing Izaya's voice at random times for the past week. If that wasn't suspicious, Shizuo didn't know what was.

"...I see. I get it."

Shizuo stepped away from the wall.

"Hmm? Where you going, Shizuo?"

"I'm heading home. Got lots to think about."

"Ohh. Thinking is good. Sort out thoughts, get clearer picture."

"Right."

Shizuo stuck the cigarette between the side edge of his teeth as he turned in the direction of his home.

"Thanks, Simon. I'll see you around."

"Take care, Shizuo!"

Shizuo gave Simon a wave as he walked away.

But unlike what he had told the Russian, however, Shizuo did not head home.

He had every intention to return home and sleep away the exhaustion from the day's work, but the more he got absorbed in his own thoughts, the more he deviated from the path home without him realising it.

Thoughts like how things had been for the kids for the past week. And even how the flea was doing. After visiting Izaya a week ago, Shizuo made it absolutely clear to Shinra that he didn't want to be updated on the flea's condition at all - knowing Shinra he would use all sorts of excuses to spam Shizuo - unless something major happened, and then left the doctor's apartment after Shinra agreed. True to his word, Shinra hadn't contacted him for the past week, and thinking back on it now Shizuo realised just how stupid and impulsive he was to have made that request.

Because it had created the very peace that Shizuo was growing suspicious of.

Without any updates, it was only natural to assume that nothing had changed, but considering how the impossible had happened, and how quickly it had happened, it was hard for Shizuo to simply accept that everything was now fine and dandy and that there wasn't anything to worry about.

The same went for those kids. Shizuo wondered if they were getting the same vibes as he, or how they had been handling the past week. They were pretty hard on themselves for what had happened to Izaya, after all.

Shizuo's mind kept reeling and reeling, and with it his feet as they continued bringing the distracted blond further and further away from his intended destination.

When he realised that something wasn't quite right, it was only because he found himself waiting for the elevator in a lobby that he did not recognise as the one he normally used.

"......Shit."

He had gone to Shinra's apartment instead of his own.

Shizuo ran his hand through his hair, resisting the urge to punch a dent in the wall.

The realisation was so awkward Shizuo wasted no time in getting away, this time focusing on getting home without heading off to some other place again.

"Dammit dammit dammit dammit... Why did I do that? Why the _hell_ did I go and do that? Dammit dammit dammit..."

Shizuo mumbled to no one in particular he walked down the Kawagoe Highway.

"Idiot. You just had to be an _idiot_ to walk right up to Shinra's without realising it. How stupid could you get?" the blond snarled to himself.

Why Shinra's, of all places? Even if his body wanted to wander off somewhere, it could've picked somewhere other than Shinra's. Then at least it wouldn't have looked like he came to visit Izaya or anything of the sort. If Shinra or Celty happened to be out and saw him there, or happened to be looking out of the window and saw him downstairs, what would they think?

Shizuo hastened his pace.

In his hurry, he knocked right into the lamppost in his path and accidentally bent it over. The light flickered dead with a _zap_ , leaving this part of the road dark and gloomy.

Shizuo stared at his unintended handicraft, looked around him, and then tried to reshape it back into its original form sheepishly.

As he pushed the metal pole back in place, Shizuo glanced up to make sure it looked straight before he stepped back and waited. The lamppost could stand without his support, which was a good thing. But the bulb remained dead, which wasn't.

There wasn't anything else he could do about the light now, Shizuo decided with a tinge of regret. He could only hope it would turn itself back on somehow, or that somebody would come and fix it. He berated himself for making such a careless mistake.

Then, just as Shizuo was about to turn and leave, his eyes caught sight of the full moon, in all its borrowed glory, right up in the night sky.

It wasn't that the moon was any unnatural occurrence or anything, but Shizuo found himself unable to turn away from seeing it. And it was most likely because of something someone told him. Something about the lunar cycle, and how it was linked to some other thing.

His gut instinct told him it was Shinra who mentioned it, but Shizuo couldn't remember when and what exactly it was about. So eventually, he chalked it up as one of his childhood friend's long ramblings which he couldn't bother to remember in detail, and left.

As he walked home, leaving the Kawagoe Highway and passing by the familiar streets and bakeries and little shops, Shizuo suddenly came to a stop at the intersection near the Sunshine 60 building after he heard Izaya's voice for the umpteenth time that week.

While he had learnt how to ignore it, this time he couldn't help but turn in the direction the voice came from.

Because unlike the previous times, the voice was loud. Almost to the point that it sounded as if Izaya were speaking directly into his ear.

And that was when Shizuo saw him.

Across the road, from the pavement he was on, was a raven-haired man. Dressed in a coat with fur trims too familiar to be a coincidence, with black, slim-fit pants and shoes that Shizuo was all too used to. Headed for the entrance of Sunshine 60, even though the department store was already closed for the day.

"...What the flying f--"

Shizuo couldn't finish his sentence, too stunned to utter another word.

For the man had disappeared into some alley near Sunshine 60 before Shizuo could call him out.

Dashing across the road the moment the green man light was on, Shizuo reached for his cellphone and hurriedly dialled Shinra's number. He headed into the alley, and saw an opened door, no doubt the door that people ran out from when there was an emergency in the store. Cursing under his breath when Shinra still failed to pick up, Shizuo cancelled the call and dialled the number again as he ran up the stairs.

The doctor finally answered when Shizuo made the fifth call.

"Look, I don't care who you are, or why you're calling me, but I'm busy with my beloved at the moment and I don't appreciate--"

" _Shinra_ ," Shizuo growled.

"......Oh." A pause. "Oh hi there, Shizuo-kun! I, uh, wasn't expecting this. Ehehe... Uh, well, um, what can I do for you at this hour?"

"You can do me a big favour by go checking up on the flea."

"...Izaya? Why? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, either I'm going crazy or you're not doing a good job of looking after him like you're supposed to."

"Ahh, I see. So you're worried about him after all."

"That's not it, dumbass."

"Well, if it's not, then I can't think of any other reason why you made this phone call, then. And at this time of the day, too."

"Stop caring about the reasons and just do it already!"

"Alright, alright. Geez, you don't have to flare up at me. Just give me a moment here."

Shizuo relented, focusing on catching up to the flea - the bastard sure was fast for someone who was supposed to dying, last he heard - and kept his phone to his ear. He heard some muffled shuffling over the phone, a bit of quiet complaining on Shinra's part, and then finally the creak of a door opening. Silence followed after that.

"...Oi, Shinra? You still there?"

"...Shizuo-kun..."

The mild shock in Shinra's voice caused Shizuo to tighten his grip around his phone.

"Let... Let me ask you a question. To confirm something."

"Shoot."

"Are you...chasing a particular somebody as we speak? Somebody whom we thought to have been dying?"

"Unless the flea has found some way to clone himself, yeah. Yeah I am," Shizuo grunted.

"...Ah. Oh dear." Shinra chuckled nervously. "That...explains things."

"The hell it does! I thought the flea was in some shitty condition? Why is he here, out in the streets and going up flights of stairs like nothing's happened?! Damn flea's going faster than me. I'm not even sure if he's here anymore, dammit!"

"Well... One thing's for certain, at least. And that's the fact that Izaya isn't in the room anymore." Shinra stopped, as if waiting for Shizuo to respond. When he didn't, Shinra continued, "Which means that that's our chance."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow at that. "Chance? What chance?"

"Don't you remember, Shizuo-kun? Apathy Syndrome is linked to the lunar cycle. I told you that before. You know, how a significant number of the residents of Tatsumi Port Island somehow suffered the outbreak with some of them recovering for no reason on nights of a full moon?"

To be honest, he didn't remember much. All he had was an inkling that Shinra had maybe said something like that before, but Shizuo decided against voicing that out and simply remained quiet.

"Even until now, the link between the lunar cycle and Apathy Syndrome is an enigma to all researchers looking into the disease, so there's no guarantee that what I'm about to predict will come true, but..." A pause. "Since the lunar cycle is connected to the recovery of a patient with Apathy Syndrome, and tonight is a full moon... There's a good chance that Izaya just might recover. But at the same time, there's an equally likely chance that he'll never be the same Izaya we know again.

"So Shizuo-kun," Shinra continued to speak, "I know I'm asking a lot of you, but please, find some way to catch up to Izaya. And don't lose sight of him. If anything, treat it like it's your final opportunity to chase him. There's no telling what will become of him after tonight."

"......"

"I'll stay on the line. Update me on whatever you think is important. Celty and I will make our way there now."

"...Alright." Shizuo kept running. Had been for the past however-long-it-had-been, but his speech was coherent. "I'm at Sunshine 60, going up the emergency staircase. Looks to me like the flea's heading for the roof, so try to get up there instead."

"Understood. I'll go explain the situation to Celty now, so don't hang up yet, Shizuo-kun."

And then Shinra's voice was gone, replaced by a tense silence filling Shizuo with dread and hope all at the same time.

 


	24. April 26 2013, Late Night

**April 26, 2013**

"Dammit, where did that stupid flea go?"

Shizuo snarled under his breath, running up the stairs.

He had been doing that for the past few minutes. At some point, he had stopped the call with Shinra, after he saw that there hadn't been any changes and heard nothing on the doctor's end. Sunshine 60 was ridiculously tall, he had realised from this, but throughout it all, he never stopped. What was even more ridiculous, though, was that the flea could somehow be faster than him. It made Shizuo wonder and doubt he was even there anymore.

But something told him - gut instinct, maybe; Shinra always complimented him about it - that the flea was still around. That the flea was trying to lead him somewhere. Shizuo didn't know if it was a trap or whatever, but if it was Izaya, then Shizuo couldn't just turn a blind eye to it when it could mean trouble for his hometown.

And so Shizuo ran, trying to chase after the non-existent trail of the informant.

Until finally, the door leading to the rooftop entered his line of vision.

With a slam, Shizuo knocked the door open. It struck the wall with a piercing _clang_ , forcing an unsightly dent in it. While catching his breath, Shizuo glanced around the rooftop, but only saw an empty stretch of tiles that had turned midnight blue from the descent of the sun, reflecting the glow of the full moon hanging over him.

"...Ugh, dammit...!"

Shizuo punched the door with no hesitance.

It had to be a hallucination. A hallucination on his part.

There was no way Izaya could slip away just like that, no matter how fast he was. Heck, wasn't he bedridden for a week? There was just no way someone who had been lying in bed for that long to be able to up and dash and perform freakin' _parkour_ as if nothing had happened.

The blond growled in frustration.

"Well, well, you sure did a good job. Making all the way up here like that."

_'...What?'_

Shizuo looked around him.

"But of course, to say that I'm impressed would be an insult, to both you and myself. Shizu-chan is a monster after all, so I shouldn't be complimenting you on something you ought to be capable of."

Shizuo stiffened.

"That voice..."

"Oh, you finally recognise me? I'm hurt. I thought you would've recognised me from the very beginning."

The voice was coming from Shizuo's right.

Shizuo turned, and then--

"Where are you looking? I'm right here!" came the playful chirp at his left.

Shizuo turned again, and found nobody there.

"Come on, you can do better than that. What happened to that nose of yours? Too distracted by my lovely voice to sniff me out like you always do?"

"Shut the hell up and show yourself!" the former bartender snapped. But as he continued glancing around, he slowly came to a stop, his eyes widening slightly. The other presence's questions repeated themselves in his mind until he realised what was wrong exactly.

That being the fact that he couldn't smell anything.

Correction - he could smell. His nose was working fine. What he couldn't smell, and what he had just realised about it, was Izaya.

Even when he stopped to gather himself and took a deep breath, there was nothing indicative of the flea's presence. The air smelled clean and cold, the usual air of a late spring night, like a passive breath while in an air-conditioned room. There was no foul smell, no overwhelming stench that Shizuo had expected especially since Izaya had to be somewhere near him. Nothing characteristic of the flea other than his voice.

Just like all the other times he heard the flea calling his name for the past week.

"Damn, I must really be going crazy," Shizuo grumbled, grabbing a fistful of his own hair and closing his eyes shut.

"Aww, don't be so quick to jump to conclusions," said the voice that Shizuo now believed to be a fragment of his imagination. It sounded so near it was as if Izaya was right in front of him.

"Just shut up and go away."

"As much as _he_ might be 'happy' to oblige, I'm not about to leave anytime soon." The voice sounded even nearer now; Shizuo could almost feel - imagine? - something unnaturally cold brush past his cheek and stop right next to his ear. "After all, all my effort for the week would go down the drain, and I can't have that. Ne?"

"I don’t care. Just go and leave--" Shizuo paused.

As if sensing something was amiss, his eyes snapped open as his arm fell back to his side. He took in a sharp breath.

There, standing before him, was none other than Orihara Izaya.

He was dressed in his usual apparel, just like the illusion Shizuo thought he had been chasing. The only difference being that the Izaya he was seeing had pulled the hood of the coat over his head, a rare sight even over the years Shizuo had known him. He was probably trying to hide something, Shizuo figured, but what exactly it was remained a mystery.

Shizuo let out the breath he had been holding. The Izaya standing in front of him simply watched, as if in anticipation. Neither said anything until Shizuo gathered his thoughts and decided on the first thing to ask this imposter:

"You're that Shadow I've been hearing about. Right?"

The hooded Izaya stared, crimson eyes widening slightly before he let out an amused chuckle that sounded all too familiar to Shizuo's ears.

"Oh, this is a surprise! A pleasant, pleasant surprise," the man with Izaya's appearance exclaimed, his voice turning more and more distorted as the snicker turned into uncontrolled laughter with drunken enjoyment. "Shizu-chan's so much sharper than I expected! Oh, I can't wait until he hears of this! Would the shock snap him awake, I wonder?"

"...I take that as a 'yes', then."

The Shadow regained his composure, though the twisted smile never left his face. His eyes were now blazing with sickly yellow. "My, did you just trap me into answering that? I have to say, though, it really is a surprise. I knew you had been told of the Forest and its inhabitants but I didn't think you'd make the connection that easily."

"Cut the crap. Why are you here? I thought things like you can't make it out here on your own." Shizuo remembered that fact very clearly because Shinra once moaned and moaned about not being able to experiment on the Shadow creatures since they couldn't leave their world; it was almost impossible to forget how annoying he was that day.

"Well, you're not wrong. In fact, you're perfectly right." The yellow-eyed Izaya spread his arms out and twirled on his feet. "But as you can see, I'm right here in the human world. And the me that was in the Forest--" his eyes flashed at the mention of the TV world, "--and the me that was at Shinra's--" he paused to gesture towards himself, "--is not."

He stopped spinning, casting Shizuo a sly look. "Do you see where I'm going with this?"

If he had to be perfectly frank, Shizuo had no inkling what the flea's Shadow was trying to imply. He didn't let that show on his face, however, and simply kept his glare on the Izaya-copy.

The Shadow gave an exaggerated sigh, yet another trait he shared with the flea. "And here I thought your Neanderthal brain is finally showing signs of development. Must you disappoint me so?"

Shizuo clenched his fists, not because he was offended by the insult, but because the Shadow reminded Shizuo so much of Izaya that the blond was instinctively getting himself geared up for a punch at his face.

Even their insults were exactly the same, bloody hell.

"Since you obviously have no idea, I'll humour you. In return for the entertainment you gave me earlier." The Shadow tossed him a suggestive wink. "Ah, but I'm going to have to trouble you to keep it to yourself, ne? I can't have you revealing all my secrets and having those kids meddle with my plans again. Especially not when I've waited so long for this moment."

 _'A week is long?'_ Shizuo nearly scoffed at that. Instead, he said, "Dream on. Why should I help you with something like that? All the stuff that's been happening is really getting on my nerves, and if you're the cause of it, then the sooner they get rid of you, the better. I don't give a damn about how you're doing this or what exactly happened to you or Izaya or whatever. I just want you gone. Got it?"

In the midst of his retort, Shizuo took the chance to glance at his surroundings, hoping he could catch a glimpse or at least a hint of Shinra and Celty's arrival at the scene, but couldn't find anything indicating their presence. _'What the hell's taking them so long...?!'_

The Shadow regarded Shizuo with a cold glare before it quickly melted into a look of resignation. “Oh dear, this won't do at all. Knowing you, you wouldn't ever accept my terms, no matter how hard I try to convince you." He shook his head, acting disappointed. "In that case, I'll just have to use some other way to thank you. It's only common courtesy, after all."

"Thanks but no thanks," Shizuo declined the offer without hesitation. Anything from the flea could never be good. And if this was some manifestation of the flea's darker feelings he was dealing with, then it could only be so much worse.

As if he had read his mind, Izaya's Shadow smirked. "Now don't be like that. It's not like I'm going to use this to my advantage or anything. I just want to thank you."

The way he had said that sent the alarm bells in Shizuo's mind ringing. His instincts were starting to flare up, yelling at him to get away from the yellow-eyed Izaya. Shizuo could feel his heart racing, his skin tingling with goose bumps, his muscles twitching with the urge to _move_ and _run_ and never ever return.

What was this weird yet familiar feeling? It could only be the stupid adrenaline rush that he felt whenever he got pissed off, but whenever that happened, it was to chase and beat up whoever offended him.

So why was he feeling this way? Why was he suddenly feeling so desperate to leave when he had been relatively calm up until now?

Shizuo didn't know, neither did he understand. All he did know, was that the flea's Shadow was definitely planning something. Something that involved him. And that if he didn't get away soon, the Shadow might accomplish what he came for and put Ikebukuro at risk.

Never before had an attempt at a display of gratitude seemed so threatening.

But he couldn't just leave. It would be too suspicious. And besides, what if Shinra and Celty turned up after he was gone? Not that Shizuo doubted Shinra and Celty's abilities, but there was the possibility that the Shadow could just disguise himself as the regular flea and trick them if he wasn't around to see through the lies.

The Izaya-copy tilted his head curiously. "Hmm? What's the matter, Shizu-chan? You've suddenly gone all quiet."

"...Shut up."

Shizuo quickly turned his head away, effectively avoiding the probing golden gaze of the Shadow before him as he stared at the roads below.

"Izaya" seemed taken aback by the change in demeanour, but eventually smiled all the same, as if he had expected this to happen. Shizuo's suspicions were confirmed when the fake flea changed tactics and dove straight to the point:

"You're waiting for Shinra and Celty to turn up, aren't you?"

Shizuo immediately turned and faced him. "Wha... How the hell did you--"

"It was pretty obvious, you know. In fact I was anticipating it. If you had seen me, the first person you would contact would be Shinra, since I was supposed to have been at his apartment. So, of course, after confirming that the me there was gone, the next move Shinra would make would be to come and find me. That person wouldn't miss any chance of making some breakthrough in his supernatural studies, after all."

"...In other words, you planned this."

"I wouldn't say that. I just let you see me. Whatever happened after that was completely your doing."

That was exactly what Izaya would say. Which only served to infuriate Shizuo even further.

"You bastard... What the hell did you do to them?!"

"Well," the Shadow replied, shrugging casually, "let's just say they ran into some _interesting troubles_ , shall we?"

Shizuo snarled and dashed towards him, grabbing "Izaya" by the collar of his coat. Screw running away, he ought to be beating this bastard senseless instead.

"Oh my. Are you angry?"

" _Do you even need to ask_?!"

The Shadow's eyes glinted as he laughed. "I guess not. But since I made you so angry, that means I owe you more than just a simple thank you now. Now let's see, how shall I make it up to you..."

"You can make it up to me by letting me beat the shit outta you."

"Well, that's a viable option, but don't you always do that without my consent anyway?"

"That's what I do to the real flea. Not you. So that doesn't count."

The Shadow's eyes narrowed. "The 'real flea', you say..." he murmured, voice dropping to a dangerously low pitch. "I thought Shizu-chan was more well-informed about the nature of my existence than this. How terribly disappointing."

Shizuo's anger did not subside in the least despite noticing the change in the Shadow's disposition. "Yeah? And what of it?" His grip on the hooded man's coat tightened. "That's what you really are, aren't you? Just some part of the flea that he doesn't wanna admit? Doesn't that make you only that one part of him?"

The Shadow chuckled darkly. "Well well, I can't say you're wrong in that aspect. But aren't you forgetting something about what you just said? Or rather, have you even realised the implications behind it?"

"I don't really care. The only thing that matters now is that you put Shinra and Celty in danger. And I'm gonna make you pay for that."

With that said, Shizuo raised a clenched fist and swiftly brought it down, making sure to aim right in the middle of the Shadow's face.

Only for the intended receiver of the attack to stop it in its path with a flicked open switchblade.

"What the--"

"Shizu-chan really doesn't know what he's getting himself into, does he."

Without giving Shizuo time to register what had happened, the Shadow effortlessly pushed the fist away and spun on his feet, lifting the fortissimo of Ikebukuro, who was still gripping onto the coat with one hand, off the ground as though he were a silk scarf blowing in the wind.

Then the golden-eyed man skipped into the air and delivered a fast kick into Shizuo's chest, sending the blond diving straight into the tiles of the rooftop. A dent was formed from the force of the impact, leaving cracks across the surface of the roof of the building.

Shizuo panted, staring at the full moon in night sky above.

 _'What the hell was all that?'_ He held a hand over where the Shadow's kick had landed and pressed lightly against it. He regretted it soon after when the sharp pain radiated across his entire ribcage.

 _'Wait.'_ He blinked. _'That...hurt?'_

Shizuo held his breath.

But it wasn't possible...was it?

He had grown so used to his entire body being torn apart as a kid that even things like gunshots were but an itch to him now. There was just no way a little kick could actually make him feel real _pain_...was there?

The blond pressed against his chest again and confirmed the existence of the piercing sensation that resulted.

"What the hell... This doesn't--"

"--make any sense? Of course it doesn't. Nothing ever does to a protozoan like you."

Shizuo raised his head from the ground. The image of a yellow-eyed Izaya exuding a shadowy aura with one hand on his hip approached him.

Ignoring the protests of his damaged ribs, the former bartender pushed himself to his feet, giving his attacker the fiercest glare he could muster.

"...What did you just do to me?"

"Why should I bother explaining that to you when you won't bother to understand it in the first place?" the Shadow replied icily, moving closer and closer towards him. "You know, I didn't come here to waste my time on you, but you took me aback at first, so I thought it might be fun to play around with you a little. But in the end, you only keep disappointing me. It's a pity, really. For a moment, you almost proved you could be as entertaining as those kids I played with, especially that one with the grey hair."

The hooded man said all this with his usual smile completely wiped off his face. His eyes flashed continuously as if to accentuate his displeasure, and his tone carried a certain sharpness that could send a piercing chill down an unsuspecting person's spine. As he kept closing the distance between himself and Shizuo, the blond could feel the ferocity of the shadowy aura slowly wrapping itself around him - a sort of emotional weight forcing itself onto him.

 _'...Oh,'_ Shizuo realised, _'he's angry.'_

And that made all the difference because Izaya, to his knowledge, never got angry.

Or, to be more accurate, even if he did, he wouldn't show it. That would be going against his own character. The flea was so good at hiding things from other people that it was near impossible to be able to tell what he was thinking or feeling. The only person who could - that Shizuo knew of - was Shinra, but Izaya could hide even from him sometimes.

But this Izaya before him was showing none of that. In fact he was being the complete opposite. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve, as if wanting Shizuo to know that he was clearly very upset with him. And it was so open and honest and _raw_ that, for just a brief moment, Shizuo thought he was dealing with some kind of bloodthirsty stranger who didn't hesitate to make his killing intent known.

 _'Are all Shadows like this?'_ Shizuo wondered, trying not to let the emotional weight of the aura overwhelm him. The immense hatred emanating from the flea's Shadow was growing stronger with every second.

"So you're finally beginning to understand," the golden-eyed copy of Izaya said, as if he had read Shizuo's mind. He didn't sound any less displeased, however, and continued inching closer and closer towards the blond until his shoes met Shizuo's. "Unfortunately, I don't intend to stick around to toy with you any longer. I've wasted enough time as it is, no thanks to the likes of a Neanderthal like you."

Then the Shadow slowly raised his head, shooting Shizuo a piercing gaze through the darkness of his hood as the edges of his lips curled into a cunning smile. "So don't you think you should repay me by helping me achieve what I came here to do?"

Before Shizuo could react, "Izaya" grabbed his wrists and pinned him to the wall before diving in swiftly to capture Shizuo's lips.

The fortissimo of Ikebukuro could do nothing to fight back.

It was as though the physical contact had drained his strength the moment their lips met. Sucked him dry of the will and power to resist and stop the Shadow from whatever he was doing.

Not only that.

What was even stranger and even more disturbing, was that Shizuo felt nothing about the whole thing.

No thoughts ran through his mind. No bursts of rage and fury ran through his body.

His entire being was calm, his mind was completely whited out.

There was nothing.

And then suddenly, there was everything.

Images that Shizuo didn't recognise flashed before his eyes like watching a series of blurred memories that didn't belong to him. A myriad of voices brushed past his ears, whispering and shouting and laughing nonsense to him. A surge of emotions and feelings coursed through his veins; a rush so intense that it was electrifying. It was _suffocating_.

Shizuo could feel himself drowning in the sensation, slowly but surely losing to whatever it was that was suffocating him.

Right before he was about to get swallowed, a clear and familiar voice somehow found its way to reach him.

" _Shizuo-kun!_ "

That voice had cried out.

Immediately after, the cacophony zapped out of existence.

As his own thoughts gradually returned to him, Shizuo could feel his body sliding down the wall, meeting the cool floor. His vision started to sharpen, rinsing itself of the images that Shizuo had seen.

Standing not too far away from him was someone in a white coat and pants with dark hair, his arms outstretched. Shinra was the first person who came to mind, but since when did Shinra's coat have a hood? And where was Celty? And the--

"You know the consequences," the cold and calculating voice that Shizuo recognised as the Shadow's had sneered. "You, of all people, should know all too well. And yet you’re out here when you should just be watching from a distance.”

The person whom Shizuo had thought to be Shinra shook his head. "It's precisely because I know that I chose to do this."

Shizuo blinked. It was the same voice that had found its way to him just now but it clearly wasn't Shinra's. For some reason, though, it was oddly familiar, but Shizuo couldn't identify it.

The Shadow's cackle interrupted Shizuo's train of thought. "You 'chose' to do this, you say? Do you honestly, truly, wholeheartedly believe that? Believe that your every decision, every thought, came from you and not somebody else?"

The person in the white coat seemed to waver at that, but tried to compose himself. "It...it doesn't matter. A-all that does is that you stop this right now before it's all too late!"

"It _is_ too late. Don't you see that?" the Shadow replied. "That's why I decided: why fight it when we knew it was inevitable? Why not help it along? It's not like dragging things on and pretending it doesn't exist will get rid of it, so why bother?"

The unknown figure fell silent. His outstretched arms fell limply to his sides as he hung his head low, trembling slightly.

"But it's not right," he said quietly. "Involving Shizuo-kun like this is not right."

 _'Involving...me?'_ Shizuo frowned in confusion.

The Shadow sighed. "You know as well as I do that the protozoan would get involved sooner or later. I'm just speeding up the process. Like a catalyst, as you might say. What's so wrong about achieving the outcome now when it's going to be the same in the end?"

"I...I still can't let you--"

"Well then, I'm sorry to say, but I've already accomplished what I came to do. Most of it anyway. So unless you can wind back time, that Neanderthal is now involved, whether anyone likes it or not."

The man in the white coat fell silent once more.

"If there's nothing else, then I'll take my leave now." The Shadow walked towards the extreme right edge of the rooftop, stepping into Shizuo's line of sight. Shizuo was as silent as his rescuer as he watched "Izaya" leap onto the railing, standing with confidence in the moon’s rays. With a smirk, the Shadow said, "Oh and, if I were you, I'd explain every single thing to Shizu-chan over there. The poor brainless protozoan looks like he has no clue about what's happening."

"Eh..."

Shizuo heard the person who saved him mutter as he turned around to face him. A pair of outstanding pink eyes stared widely at Shizuo, who could only gape at the sight of the man with headphones around his neck.

"A...another Izaya?!" Shizuo exclaimed.

The pink-eyed raven looked like he was at a loss for words.

"Well then! It seems like my job here is done," declared the Shadow, who was smiling sweetly at the two. The air around him began to ripple as he raised his right hand and waved. His body became translucent as it started to fade away. “Until next time, then, Shizu-chan. I’ll be waiting for you in the heart of the Forest…together with the one you call the ‘real flea’, of course.”

And then with a laugh he was gone, right as the clouds covered the moon's glow, leaving the pair in awkward silence in the darkness.

***

_Knock knock_

"Yes?" a raspy male voice spoke. "Who is it?"

"Excuse me, Nakura-san. The meal you have requested for is here."

"Ah... I see. Hang on for a moment." The person named Nakura stood and walked over to the door, sliding it open gently for the lady who was carrying the tray of food to enter. "I'm sorry for the trouble at this time of the day."

"Oh no, it's no trouble at all. It is our duty as staff of the Amagi Inn to ensure that our guests have an enjoyable stay here, after all," the lady replied, flashing a professional smile at him as she placed the tray on the table.

While the staff was laying out the plates and crockery for him, Nakura tilted the tip of his baseball cap down and mumbled a sincere "Thank you" to her. In return, she maintained her smile, and thanked him back for coming to Inaba and wished him a pleasant stay before leaving the room in bright spirits.

The man in the grey turtleneck and black cap simply remained where he was and stared at the food. Then, with a resigned sigh, he settled down on the floor and quietly thanked for the meal before he started eating in silence.

As he picked his food with the chopsticks provided, the brown-haired man thought back to how he had spent his past week here in the quiet little town called Inaba.

It wasn't like he had intended to stay for this long. Being a small town in the countryside, there really wasn't much for him to see, aside from the hill overlooking the houses and the peaceful river by the floodplain. The shrine did take him by surprise, though, as he had expected it to be more modest instead of sparkling gold considering the fact that the rest of the town had much milder colours.

But Nakura's purpose was not to admire the limited number of sights Inaba had to offer.

No, he had one motive and just one motive alone: to seek the information he needed.

And it was for that reason that he was extending his stay here in the rural town.

Meeting the man named Adachi Tooru was merely the first step to achieving his purpose. After all, the former detective was the culprit behind the murder cases that took place two years ago. There was no better person to ask for information than Adachi Tooru himself.

After he had gathered the information he needed, Nakura went around the town and asked the townspeople to validate it. He had requested for Dojima Ryotarou's aid as well, who looked like he was suspicious of his intent but eventually answered Nakura's queries to the best of his ability.

The more he knew, however, the more questions he had, and so for the sake of getting these questions answered, the brown-haired man continued his investigation.

For instance, the whereabouts of those high school students he had heard so much about.

From the way Adachi Tooru recounted the details of the murders to him, it sounded like those high schoolers were involved in the case in some way. Dojima Ryotarou didn't reveal much, if at all, about them either. The only clues Nakura had were fleeting statements by the townspeople he had asked, with things like "You remind me of those high school kids who asked the same things" and "Why are you being as weird as those high school students a few years back?" And when Nakura questioned further, all he could find out was that they were from Yasogami High School - the only high school in the vicinity - and most of them had most likely graduated already.

Then as if that wasn't frustrating enough, there was also the whole buzz on the Internet about the famous Orihara of Shinjuku going missing.

News of that only reached Nakura very recently, actually. With how busy he had been with his investigation within Inaba, he barely had any time for surfing the net or checking on how Ikebukuro had been while he was away. It was only when Nakura reached a dead end in his search that he decided to contact Izaya - the man who had sent him in the first place - but all of his calls were answered with the same robotic line: "This phone service is currently unavailable. Please try again later."

He hadn't thought of it unusual until the information broker's sisters texted him, asking if he had seen their brother lately.

After a bit more probing and looking around the Internet, Nakura came to the conclusion that Izaya had indeed gone missing. Whether it was the informant's intention or not, that Nakura did and could not know.

But he had a feeling that it was the former.

The reason for this was the last thing Izaya said to him before he departed for Inaba:

_"I'll be going on a long trip to a place where my phone service won't be working, so don't bother calling or texting me. Oh, and that goes for emails and apps and anything related, of course. Though I'm sure you won't need my help anyway."_

"..."

Nakura placed the bowl and chopsticks down. Then he reached for his phone, swiped across the screen, went to his logbook and dialled the last number he called. The phone rung three times before the other end of the line clicked.

"This phone service is currently unavailable. Please try--"

Nakura ended the call and stared at the phone.

He thought back to the day Izaya called him up to his apartment. The day Izaya told him about Inaba and the murders. The day Izaya sent him off, looking as if he knew exactly what would happen to him not long after; as if everything was happening just as he wanted it to.

"...Izaya," Nakura hissed, his eyes full of hate and anger and concern. "Just what the hell are you planning?"


	25. Speculation

**April 27, 2013**

"...You know, it's still pretty amazing, however I look at it."

The occupants of the living room turned to look at Shinra, who had broken the silence with a smile.

"I mean, wow. The whole concept about Shadows, Personas, and a TV world? I had a feeling there was more to it than what Souji-kun and the others had said, but I didn't think it amounted to something _this_ intriguing. If I didn't see it for myself, I probably wouldn't have given it much more thought."

Shinra paused, resting his chin on his palm as he faced the black-haired man sitting on the sofa across him.

"And then there's you," the underground doctor said. Seeing the raven fidget elicited another lighthearted chuckle from him. "Psyche-kun, was it? That was quite the display, defeating those Shadow creatures all by yourself last night. Celty and I are really grateful to you."

The young man named Psyche scratched the back of his head and tried to avoid the intense stares from everyone else, like an embarrassed child looking for an opportunity to slip away. "It's nothing, Shin-chan. It's only natural, after all. Though Iza-chan probably won't ever admit it, Shin-chan is someone important to him, so..."

Shinra blinked. "That's...unexpected," he mumbled thoughtfully. He wasn't used to the idea of someone looking like Izaya being honest, for once. Especially when it concerned something so personal.

"Huh? Is that strange? I thought the both of you are friends," Teddie said, tilting his head to one side.

Shinra chuckled sheepishly. "Ah... Well, about that, it's a little...complicated."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow, but didn't make any comment.

Rise let out a giggle. "Think of it this way, Teddie." Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she stole a glance at one of her seniors. "It's kinda like how you and Yosuke-senpai are always like, right?"

Yosuke choked. "Wha-whaaa? What does this have to--"

"But Yosuke _is_ important to me," Teddie innocently cut the brunet off, looking genuinely confused. "It doesn't look like it but I really do try to let him know!"

"Oh I wasn't referring to you," Rise said sweetly, giving Yosuke an expectant look. The rest of the Investigation Team did the same.

"H-hey!" Yosuke exclaimed, flustered. "Why am I suddenly being dragged into this anyway? And besides, since when did you guys get the idea that--"

"The toy, Hanamura, the toy," Chie said, smirking as she revealed one of her former classmate's most recent secrets. "Y'know, the incident in the train on the way here?"

Yosuke's eyebrow twitched at the embarrassing memory.

"Oh yeah, speaking of toys," Kanji spoke up, not knowing the significance of the incident that Chie had mentioned, "what happened to the one I made for ya, Yosuke-senpai? Have you been taking care of it?"

Yosuke shot him a glare while Teddie turned to Chie and asked about that toy incident.

"Ah," Souji muttered, "there was that conversation we had late at night..."

"Dude, not you too!"

The room, which was once quiet and filled with tension, was now brightened with smiles and laughter on the Investigation Team's side. Shinra, Celty and Shizuo could only look on in silent wonder at their seemingly natural ability to change what used to be an awkward atmosphere into one that was warm and friendly so easily.

Just looking at them and watching how they interacted with each other was all the proof anyone needed about their tight-knit bond. Never did Shinra nor Celty once see such a large group of people being on such good terms with one another. The closest they had seen was probably the camaraderie between Mikado, Masaomi and Anri, but even that couldn't compare to the ties of friendship among the adolescents of the self-proclaimed Investigation Team.

 _'They must have gone through a lot together,'_ Shinra mused as he looked on with a smile. _'A lot more than one can possibly imagine.'_

Celty seemed to have read his mind, for she typed the exact same words on her PDA which she showed only to Shinra. The doctor nodded as a sign of his agreement.

Then he looked in Shizuo's direction, purely out of curiosity about his childhood friend's reaction to such a sight. When Shinra saw that Shizuo was conflicted between feeling frustrated from his encounter with Izaya's Shadow and feeling slightly relieved about the team's attempt to lighten up the atmosphere, he hummed quietly to himself before turning towards Psyche.

To his mild surprise, the pink-eyed doppelganger of Izaya was smiling dazedly at the sight.

With both elbows on his lap and his chin resting on his palms, Psyche was staring intently with half-lidded eyes and a dreamy smile, kicking his legs in the air lightly as if he were a toddler paddling in a pool. From the way he was watching the group, it looked like the raven was deep in his own thoughts. Possibly his own memories, even, seeing how he seemed so happy as though he were a part of them right now. But on top of that, it also looked like he was a little...envious?

Shinra folded his arms, leaning back into the sofa. Truth be told, he had been this interested in Psyche not just because of the uncanny resemblance between Izaya and him, but mostly because Psyche himself was shrouded in complete and utter mystery.

The doctor didn't have the chance to ask when Psyche appeared and saved him and Celty from those Shadows, admittedly because he was far too distracted by said creatures and the might of the Persona that Psyche had summoned. But after regaining his composure and following a logical train of thought, Shinra arrived at a likely though baseless theory concerning Izaya's near-carbon copy. And now, as he observed the other man's behaviour, Shinra became even more certain about that hypothesis.

 _'But if Psyche-kun really is a manifestation of some part of Izaya's personality,'_ Shinra paused to frown, _'then doesn't that make him...?'_

"Okay guys, back on topic," Souji's cool and collected voice caught Shinra's attention. His teammates quieted down, seriousness painted all over their expressions once more. The grey-haired undergraduate turned to face Psyche, who had snapped out of his daydream before anyone realised it. "Psyche-san, I understand this might be difficult for you, but I hope you can explain to us what has been happening recently."

"And who the hell you really are, and what that bastard is up to," Shizuo added with a low growl.

Psyche simply stared at the two, his hot neon pink eyes darting to and fro before a bubbly giggle escaped his lips. The Investigation Team looked at him in confusion while Shinra, Shizuo and Celty bristled at the familiarity of the raven's laughter.

"Oh! I'm sorry, it's just that you reminded me of someone." Psyche's gaze turned wistful as he directed his attention to the ceiling, staring at it fondly. "Someone I really, really wanna see again..."

Now that was surprising. Izaya? Wanting to meet a specific person as opposed to simply mingling around with the humans he claimed to love so much? Was that a feeling Izaya had been trying to suppress and deny having?

It seemed like there was so much more to Izaya than Shinra had initially thought.

"Psyche-kun?"

"...Ah!" The raven blushed. It was like witnessing some kind of miracle to those who knew Izaya personally. "Oh golly, I'm so sorry! I-I'll make sure to stay focused this time. You can count on me! Yup."

"No, no, it's perfectly fine," Naoto reassured him.

"Um... Well, I guess I'll start by formally introducing myself." The raven leapt to his feet. With both hands folded in front of him, he bowed. "It's nice to meet you all. My name is Psyche. I'm...not exactly a Shadow, but I'm something similar to that."

The Investigation Team didn't seem too taken aback about the revelation, while Shizuo's expression darkened considerably at Psyche's mention of the word "Shadow" - wow, what on earth did Izaya's Shadow do to make him _this_ angry? - and Celty's shoulders tensed in surprise. Shinra would've had said "I knew it" if not for one important detail.

"'Something...similar'?" It was Yukiko who pointed it out.

Nodding, Psyche returned to his seat. "Actually, to be more precise," he said, looking downcast, "I don't even know what I am."

Everyone in the room stared at him wide-eyed. Some in shock, some in sympathy, and some with a mixture of both.

When Psyche realised that the room had gone quiet at what he said, he quickly raised his arms and waved in a fluster. "A-ah, sorry, I didn't mean to surprise everyone like that! I-it's just that... I thought..."

Suddenly at a loss of what to say, the raven groaned and started hitting himself lightly on the head with a clenched fist, muttering gibberish to himself.

Shizuo looked like he wanted to get out and take a smoke and never come back. Seeing someone who was so strikingly similar to Izaya's appearance act like this was getting reasonably hard to bear, even for Shinra. Celty was a little unsettled herself but tried not to show it.

"I know what you mean, Psyche-chan!" Teddie declared with enthusiasm, appearing determined and confident. "I went through the exact same thing, so I know exactly how you feel. So don't feel bad about it! Sensei and the rest of us will hear you out for sure!"

The Investigation Team's shocked expressions readily melted away into reassuring smiles at Teddie's encouragement as they all turned to Psyche and nodded simultaneously. Being on the receiving end of such nice gestures, Psyche was so touched his eyes were beginning to water.

With such a tearful expression coupled with a re-brightened smile, the raven thanked them and then tried to start again, “Right… As I said earlier, I'm Psyche. I don't know what I am, but what I do know is that I'm kinda like a Shadow. I'm a part of Iza-chan, but I'm different from the usual Shadows Sou-chan and his friends are used to meeting."

"'Different', as in...?" Shinra probed.

"Well, he's obviously not trying to kill his host or anything," Kanji tried to contribute.

"And there isn't the usual 'I am the true self' stuff either," Yosuke added.

Psyche nodded slowly, looking a little uncomfortable at the notion of doing any sort of harm to Izaya. "And, um, I can use a Persona."

"I see..." Naoto spoke. "In other words, you have a will and personality of your own, almost as though you are a completely separate existence from Orihara-san himself."

"Whoa, hold on. Isn't that just like our Teddie over here?" Chie asked.

"Eh? Is that so?" Shinra replied. They hadn't mentioned anything like that before. If it was true, then there just might be some big discovery about Shadows and Personas waiting to be uncovered, if the fact that more than one such unique manifestations existed was anything to go by.

"Oh, we never did explain, did we?" Yosuke said. "Teddie's a Shadow that can use a Persona. Or more like...a former Shadow, I think."

"...What?" Shizuo muttered. "That guy used to be a Shadow?"

In response to the question, as well as the looks of curiosity and surprise on Shinra, Celty, and Shizuo's faces, Teddie made a large clumsy nod. It almost looked like he was bowing; a seemingly forced but actually natural gesture that Shinra had seen for the first time since meeting him.

"That's right," Teddie answered, looking a bit ashamed of his own roots. Then he turned towards Psyche, and instantly beamed at him. "That's why I know what Psyche-chan is going through. And it was Sensei and the others who helped me figure things out, so I know for sure if there's anyone Psyche-chan can count on, it's all of us here!"

"...I see," Shinra whispered to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

_'A physical representation of somebody's thoughts and feelings can somehow develop an ego of its own. An ego so strong that a Persona can be summoned. Because it now possess its own personality, this being that was once tied to its human's inner psyche has become separated from it. That's why Teddie-kun and Psyche-kun aren't like the other Shadows; they've completely lost that aspect of their original nature.'_

Deep in his thoughts, Shinra subtly nodded to himself as he pondered further and further about this intriguing matter that had revealed itself before him. Psychology and the like wasn't the paranormal-obsessed doctor's forte, but from observing other people so often out of an unconscious habit of observing Celty, Shinra found himself having the uncanny ability to read someone like a book more than he would have liked.

Besides, Shadows and Personas clearly belonged to the supernatural category, in Shinra's opinion. Supernatural psychology, probably, but supernatural nonetheless. There wasn't anything normal about being able to summon mythological figures to do battle with creatures that came from human thought, and that was what fascinated Shinra so. And having witnessed the power of Personas first-hand did nothing to satiate the desire to know more.

[But wait a minute.] Celty typed, her movements - no matter how slight - catching Shinra's attention. [If Shadows came from humans, then at least we know for sure that Psyche-kun came from Izaya. But then, where did Teddie-kun...?]

"I don't know that, either. I was just...an ordinary Shadow," the blond replied sadly, lowering his head.

The Dullahan quickly made a move to apologise, to which Teddie just smiled and gestured that it was alright, which did little to put Celty at ease. Seeing that, Shinra stroked her back comfortingly, and it made him glad that it helped somewhat.

"Ah, we shouldn't dwell on this topic so much," Teddie suggested. "Psyche-chan, please continue."

Psyche nodded. "Well, I think I should tell you guys more about Icchan. Iza-chan's Shadow, I mean." Shizuo looked murderous again. The raven fidgeted. "Icchan's actually a little like me, except that he probably has the closest ties to Iza-chan out of all of us. He's most like the usual Shadows because of that, but he's still different from them."

"...He has a will of his own as well, then, I presume?" Naoto asked.

"Kinda." Psyche sounded like he doubted his own answer, despite himself. "But it still doesn't change the fact that Icchan wants Iza-chan dead. It's just that, because Icchan is aware of what he's doing, he's making use of it to come up with a way to achieve his goal rather than do what usual Shadows do."

"Why would he do that, though? If he really wanted Orihara-san dead from the start, why didn't he just...you know, pull a berserk mode or whatever on him?" Yosuke then quickly added, "I-I mean, not that I want that to happen, of course. Just...why?"

"Because it's fun," Psyche replied without a beat. The cold, automatic answer seemed to make some of the Investigation Team members, namely everyone but Souji and Naoto, rather unsettled. "I'm not like Iza-chan and Icchan, but I'm connected to them, so I know. There's no fun in taking an easy way to get what you want. No sense of pride, no satisfaction to be gained. Iza-chan believes in that, and so Icchan does, too.

"But..." Psyche paused and grimaced, as if struggling to get the right words out. "Icchan doesn't agree with how Iza-chan has been doing things. Iza-chan always does his work when nobody's looking, but Icchan doesn't like that. He wants to come out into the open. He wants other people to know exactly what he's doing."

The raven absentmindedly raised a hand to the headphones around his neck as a sad expression formed on his face. "Icchan wants to be _seen_ ," he spoke, gripping onto the headphones lightly. Then, he released his grip, and turned towards Shizuo and said, "That's why he came here, Shizuo-kun. Icchan wanted to appear in front of you because he knew Shizuo-kun would do something to alert everyone else."

"Hang on," Shinra interrupted. “If a Shadow is supposed to represent a side a person has been suppressing, doesn’t that mean that there’s a part of Izaya that, despite everything, wants to conduct his work in front of other people? But isn’t that something he’s always been doing?”

Psyche tilted his head to one side. "Not really? I mean, whenever something goes wrong, everyone thinks it's Iza-chan's fault straight away, right? Iza-chan's too obvious sometimes, but he likes and doesn’t like it at the same time.  He's always been a lil weird." Then he frowned. "Shouldn't Shin-chan already know that?"

Shinra kept silent, not knowing what to say.

Thinking about it now, Psyche was absolutely right. Izaya was known to be shady and made sure to complete his work away from the public eye, and that there was the irony: he was well-known for his job as an information broker. A profession that was meant to be kept under a facade for the informant's own safety, and yet he was famous for it.

Izaya tended to draw a lot of attention, whether unnecessary or not was not for Shinra to determine, to himself wherever he went. It was something Shinra had realised from a long time ago, but he wouldn't actively think of it like he did now. He recalled he once casually concluded to himself that Izaya just wanted his beloved humans to notice him and left things at that without pondering further.

But now with Izaya's Shadow surfacing, everything just became more complicated, necessitating more thought on the matter.

So what exactly was the Shadow meant to represent? If Izaya himself preferred to conduct his work in the dark and yet didn't mind other people knowing about it, then what Psyche said about his Shadow didn't make sense. If he wanted to be seen, then how was that disagreeing with the way Izaya did his work?

While Shinra continued thinking, Shizuo sighed tiredly and said, "That’s not the point here. What I want to know is how is that bastard so strong and why he...he..." Shizuo trailed off and didn't continue from there.

And he really, really looked like he was going to grab something and hurl it across the room, so Shinra quietly requested, "Please don't take it out on my house." Nobody except Celty heard him. She gave Shinra a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"A-ahh." Psyche scratched the back of his head sheepishly. His face turning slightly red made everyone else even more confused about what Shizuo had meant. "Yeah, about that? Um, I don't really know how to say it, but basically it's Icchan's special ability."

" _What special ability_?!" Shizuo snapped, face turning crimson rapidly. Most likely from anger, but then again, Shinra had no idea what exactly happened between Shizuo and Izaya's Shadow, so he couldn't be too sure. "You trying to tell me that something like _that_ can be called a freakin' _'special ability'_?!"

Psyche jolted and sunk further into his seat while the others, in particular Celty, attempted to calm the fortissimo of Ikebukuro down, but to no avail. As the blond made his way over to him, Psyche exclaimed, "Wait, Shizuo-kun! I wasn't finishe--uwah!"

"So stop beating about the bush and get to the damn point," Shizuo spoke in a fierce whisper as he grabbed the collar of Psyche's coat. It was somehow even more terrifying than seeing him shout across the room and march towards him.

It was only for a split second, but there was a flash of fear in Psyche's eyes. Shizuo probably caught it, because when Shinra noticed it, he also saw that Shizuo flinched before relaxing a little and letting Psyche go. The tip of the raven's tongue was nearly about to stick out from his lips until he noticed that Shizuo had gone awfully quiet and mellow.

"...Sorry," the blond finally mumbled out after a brief moment of silence.

"I...it's okay!" Psyche was quick to exclaim, withdrawing his tongue at the same time. "I didn't explain myself clearly enough so there's no need for Shizuo-kun to be sorry." He took a deep breath, probably to calm himself down, but the look of unease on his face was proof of its effectiveness. "Well, like I said before, that was Icchan's special ability you saw, Shizuo-kun.

"Shin-chan and Cel-chan and Shizuo-kun might not understand, but Sou-chan and his friends do." Psyche directed his attention to the Investigation Team, his neon pink eyes sparkling with the determination to explain to the best of his ability. "It's like how some Personas work differently from one another. Some do better attacking Shadows, some can heal... You know what I mean, right?"

When they nodded with recognition flashing in their eyes, Psyche continued, "Yeah, it's just like that. See, Icchan's strong, but that's not why he could hurt you, Shizuo-kun." Everyone instantly turned to face Shizuo, appearing stunned. Psyche went on, "Icchan managed to hurt you because he saw your weak points. That's Icchan's specialty. He can tell where your weaknesses are and exploit them or find some way to turn things to his advantage."

"Hey... Doesn't that sound like...?"

The rest of the Investigation Team slowly turned towards Rise as Yosuke voiced out his teammates' thoughts. The brunette didn't seem all that bothered by the stares, but she did frown a little, probably due to certain unpleasant memories she might've had with regards to whatever her friend was referring to.

Shinra's suspicions were confirmed when the famous teen idol's frown eventually turned into a pout when Shizuo and Celty joined in the staring, effectively getting her teammates to look away as fast as they could. It was pretty amusing to see that even a person like Risette had some sort of intimidating side to her that the general public would never get a chance to witness.

Now with a slight blush, Rise cleared her throat and said, "Yeah, yeah, I know. That _does_ sound like what my Shadow did when it went all berserk. But... Huh, that's the first time I heard of someone's Shadow being able to do that when it's not in berserk mode. Though I guess it kinda makes sense, seeing that it's still the same Shadow either way."

Shizuo gave her this look. Shinra couldn't make out what emotion Shizuo was trying to convey through that, but it was a strange look regardless. "Did your Shadow... Uh... Erm..." Shizuo tried to start but couldn't continue. His face was turning red again.

An idea sprung to Shinra's head at the sight, after his mind began piecing the little clues together - Shizuo's particularly bad temper after meeting Izaya's Shadow; Rise's reluctance to remember how her Shadow was like; Shizuo's unexplained blushing at times - but it was such a crazy and unreasonable idea that Shinra couldn't help but smile to himself for thinking of it.

And so, with that bright, innocent smile on his face, Shinra very shamelessly and boldly said, "I think Shizuo-kun is trying to ask if your Shadow had to do something intimate to activate that ability."

Everyone in the room was stunned speechless until Shizuo broke something - probably one of the mugs, Shinra assumed - and growled with increasing intensity, "Shinraaaaaaa......!"

"Eep," Shinra calmly murmured, though he was anything but calm on the inside. Being the sole reason for one Heiwajima Shizuo's wrath was almost starting to make him wish he could take back what he just said. Almost.

Rise leapt to her feet. "Wh-whaaat?" Shaking her head vigorously, she continued to protest, "No, no, it was nothing of the sort, Shinra-sensei! Nothing...nothing like that happened!"

"If you don't count the pole and the stri--GAH!" Chie didn't let Yosuke finish whatever he was going to say, leaving him collapsing to the floor as he wrapped his arms around the region of his lower abdomen. Rise looked like she was caught between anger and sheer embarrassment at what Yosuke had nearly revealed.

Shinra had to fight his habitual itch to carry out medical treatment when Psyche jumped in to explain, "Rise-chan's right, Shin-chan! Most Personas that can scan for information don't need physical contact at all, but the Shadows that can might need it." Then, as if he didn't treasure his own life, Psyche added, "In Icchan's case, the more intimate, the better!"

"Hey, you! You say any more and I'm gonna--!"

"Hold on," Souji interrupted Shizuo as politely as he could, appearing completely unfazed even as the blond shot an intimidating glare at him. "If I may ask, Heiwajima-san, what exactly happened between you and Orihara-san's Shadow? We need the details if we want to figure out what his next move may be."

The former bartender couldn’t give a coherent reply.

Psyche grinned. "It’s okay, Sou-chan. You don't need to ask Shizuo-kun for that. Because I know exactly what Icchan's going to do."

"You do? Then why didn't you say so earlier? Woulda saved a hell lotta time!" Kanji said, voicing out what most of the people in the room were thinking.

Psyche winced. "I know, I know. I know I keep wasting everyone's time, and I'm sorry. But it's..." He paused to purse his lips, before he gave a determined frown. "It's not like there was a good chance to say it, you know! I mean, nobody was asking anything specific, so what were you expecting from me? I'm not as smart as Iza-chan or Icchan or Hibi-kun. They can tell what you want from them, but I can't, okay?"

The room fell silent at Psyche's unexpected outburst. It was like they had just watched a toddler throwing a sudden tantrum and bursting into tears out of the blue; in such situations, Shinra often had a way to calm the child down, but Psyche wasn't exactly an ordinary child, if he could be considered one.

But more importantly, who on earth was "Hibi-kun"?

Yosuke ruffled his own hair, making it even more unkempt than it usually was. "Ugh, this is all so confusing. Okay, first off, let's get a couple of things straight. Basically, what you're saying is, Orihara-san's Shadow has an ability that's like Rise's. But because he hasn't gone all haywire yet, he needs some form of physical contact for that ability of his to work. Are we on the same page here or did I get it wrong?"

With the upset look on his face completely wiped off, Psyche nodded vigorously. "Yup, that's right."

"Alright, at least we got that. Then, you're also saying that Shadow has a will of his own and is trying to use a roundabout way to get what he wants. And this roundabout way involves Heiwajima-san, for some reason, but you know exactly what he's trying to do and why he's doing it. Right?"

Psyche nodded, maintaining the same level of enthusiasm. "Yeah, you got it!"

Yosuke heaved a sigh of relief. "Well, now that we got that outta the way, I guess we can narrow down our questions so that we can make this a lot easier." His fellow peers mumbled in agreement, looking glad that they were finally about to make clearer progress. "Anybody wanna do the honours?"

"How 'bout, who the hell was the guy we saved a week ago? The guy we all thought was suffering from some syndrome thing and close to dying and all that shit. Y'know, the guy who somehow disappeared like he wasn't there in the first place?" Kanji asked, his tone sounding like a mix between sarcasm and anger.

"Oh that's easy!" Psyche brightened up in spite of the evident bad mood Kanji was in. "That's another of Icchan's abilities. He can create all sorts of illusions! But just like his other ability I mentioned, he can't use it to its full extent the way he is now, so Icchan's illusions aren't too good and can't last as long. A week is probably his current limit."

Yukiko spoke, her eyes widened, "Are... Are you telling us that the person we saved is actually just an illusion his Shadow created all this while?"

"Mm, in a way, yeah. See, the Iza-chan you rescued wasn't really Iza-chan at all. It was one of Icchan's illusions. But Icchan can't make any kind of illusion he wants. Not right now. He's supposed to be able to, but now he can only make them if they're already existing somewhere and if there are people who believe they exist."

While everyone else was trying to make sense of what Psyche had said, Naoto hummed thoughtfully and said, "I see... An illusion of something that already exists. In other words, Orihara-san's Shadow is capable of projecting the image of a real object or person into our minds, as far as his illusion-making abilities go in his current state."

"And these projections he's creating become as real as we believe them to be," Shinra added, his heart fluttering with excitement and utmost fascination. "So, we all saw Izaya here, in this world, for the past week because we believed without any hesitation that he was real. That's why when Shizuo-kun saw the Shadow last night and began to question if Izaya was at my house, which influenced me to wonder about it myself, Izaya disappeared without a trace. Or more like, the projection of Izaya stopped existing because we stopped believing in it."

Rise’s eyes flickered in recognition at the revelation before they flashed with shock. "So… Then, Orihara-san being caught in a mass of Shadows… If that's supposed to be an illusion of something that's real, then it…really did happen?"

The horrifying idea struck the rest of the Investigation Team members. Psyche's sudden silence and refusal to meet any of their gazes was the only confirmation he gave.

Celty froze. [T-Then, the Midnight Channel that showed up last week...]

"...It was real," Psyche murmured. "It really did happen."

"So... Orihara-san is..."

Psyche shook his head, cutting Naoto off. "Don't get me wrong, Nao-chan. Iza-chan's still alive." He smiled as though it was the only way he could set the others at ease. "I said it, didn't I? Icchan's smart. He just doesn't want Iza-chan waking up any time soon, so he cut off the ties he had with Iza-chan temporarily. It's why Iza-chan has Apathy Syndrome now."

Yosuke's brows furrowed. "Is that even possible?"

Psyche "hmm"-ed as he tapped his chin with his index finger. "Well, think of it as a Shadow going berserk, but without turning into the bigger and stronger versions of themselves!" He paused to frown. "I can't really explain it very well, but you know what I mean, right?"

Then, without giving the Investigation Team a chance to respond, Psyche's eyes lit up. "Oh, right! That reminds me." He looked in Shizuo's direction. "Shizuo-kun, you didn't say anything to make Icchan mad, did you? I mean, Icchan's real strong, but not when he's the way he is right now, so he shouldn't have been able to hurt you badly unless he's really, really angry. It makes him stronger, you know? Though he's not so good at controlling it."

Despite everyone's common fear of offending the fortissimo of Ikebukuro, all of the occupants in the room didn't hesitate to give Shizuo a questioning and curious look as they waited for his answer. In a sense, it was pretty ironic; the way Psyche said it made it sound like he was talking about how Shizuo was like on a regular basis as opposed to something that was born from Izaya.

Trying his best to ignore the undesired attention, Shizuo scratched the back of his head and grunted, "...I might have said something."

Psyche sighed and muttered something in Russian -  or at least, it sounded like Russian - under his breath. Everybody could only look at him blankly. Naoto, on the other hand, seemed slightly unimpressed at what Psyche had said, but otherwise didn't respond or say anything indicative of her possible understanding of the language.

"...Never mind. Icchan's sensitive like that. It's not Shizuo-kun's fault. I think." Psyche made the switch back to Japanese without any warning. "Okay, I talked about Icchan's illusions and what he did to Iza-chan, right? Is there anything--"

"Oh, oh, what is he gonna do next? And why does we wanna drag Heiwajima-san into this? I mean, they're not exactly the best of friends or anything," suggested Chie. Shizuo looked appalled at the idea of him and Izaya being anything other than enemies.

"Mm, it's just like what Icchan said before he left," Psyche replied, sitting back down on the sofa. "Icchan's waiting. He's already done what he came here to do, so he's gone back to the Forest. But for his plan to carry on, he needs us there. That's why he's waiting. Then about Shizuo-kun..." A pause. "Um, I don't think I should say it. Iza-chan and Icchan would get mad if I do. But-but it's not anything bad! I promise! It's just that... It doesn't seem right if I say it."

It was yet another vague answer, but Shizuo surprisingly accepted it with just a shrug. Perhaps, like the Investigation Team, Shizuo had realised that it was something very personal, and that it was probably something Izaya himself needed to hear as well, so he didn't probe any further. Or maybe there was no point in trying to do so if Psyche was unwilling to share it even after revealing so much already.

Either way, nobody questioned Psyche about it. Instead, Yukiko asked, "But what did he come here to do exactly? It must've been something very important if he was willing to go to such lengths to hide it from us."

"It is, it is," Psyche answered cheerfully, in a manner that was strikingly similar to Izaya's. His energy, however, died down as he continued, "But you see, that's what Icchan came to do. To pull Shizuo-kun into this. But Shizuo-kun ne? He's not supposed to be involved just yet. Icchan knows that, but he still wanted to try. That's why when I realised what Icchan was gonna do, I came here to stop him." He smiled wryly. "Hehe, it didn't really work, huh."

"Okay, stop right there," said Shizuo. "Last night, you and that other flea were talking about something like that too. Something about how the other flea's not supposed to drag me into this just yet. So, what, you guys can see the future or something? Or know what's gonna happen?"

Psyche didn't give an immediate reply. Instead, he spent a few moments remaining perfectly still, as if he had been fearing that very question, before he sighed and removed the headphones that were hanging around his neck. The thin, neon pink cord attached to the left headphone followed its movements gently, while the other end of the cord remained buried in the left pocket of Psyche's white coat.

"I dunno about Icchan, but for me it's because of this," the raven said. "Whenever I listen to the music that's playing in here, I can get an idea of how the future's gonna be like. And it's not just that, too. Since I'm a part of Iza-chan, the music that's playing changes depending on his mood, so I can tell how Iza-chan is feeling by listening to this."

"Whoa, that is suh-weet," Yosuke couldn't help but comment, his eyes sparkling with rekindled zeal.

"Ehh, no it's not." Psyche puffed his cheeks, the sight of which nearly made Shinra burst into laughter. (To think he could actually live long enough to see Orihara Izaya pout like that. He should've taken a picture; oh the blackmail potential.) Thankfully he managed to restrain himself, and the laughter came in the form of a snort instead. Celty elbowed him lightly.

"You don't know how terrible Iza-chan's mood swings can be sometimes. It's the _worst_ ," Psyche continued to complain as he placed his headphones back around his neck. The urge to laugh was getting harder to control. "All those images and sounds and everything would fly around everywhere! Ugh, it always gives me a headache whenever that happens. It's so unfair that I'm the only one who has to deal with it. Un. Fa. Ir."

"'The only one'?" Naoto echoed. "If I may ask, what do you mean by 'the only one'?"

"Oh! I haven't told you guys?" A broad smile found its way to Psyche's face, excitement clearly written all over it. With a leap from his seat, he went on, "You see, you see, there are other people who are kinda like me. They all came from Iza-chan, just like I did. And they can use Personas, too. I'm not as strong as they are, though... And it seems like I'm the only one who is connected to Iza-chan like this, so whenever they wanna know what I saw, they'll come and ask me."

Shinra nodded in understanding. "I'm guessing that the Hibi-kun you mentioned is one of them?"

Psyche giggled at the mention of his fellow peer's name. "Yup! There's also Rocchan and Saku-chan, and maybe a few more even we haven't met yet."

"Eh? So many?" Yukiko spoke.

 _'Fascinating,'_ Shinra mused, trying to process and fit this new bit of information into his earlier hypothesis. _'Having that many different manifestations of aspects of his personality, all imbued with a will of their own... This is certainly beyond the typical situation I've been told about. The question is, how?'_

That was something Shinra had entirely no leads about.

"...Great. Just what I needed. More fleas," Shizuo grumbled, holding his forehead in one of his hands.

Psyche, however, didn't seem to pay any attention to it. "Hmm well I don't know if there are that many of us since I've never seen anyone else except for Hibi-kun and Rocchan and Saku-chan and Icchan, but Hibi-kun said there are, so there's gotta be more."

Shinra chuckled. "Psyche-kun must really admire Hibi-kun a lot, if you believe in what he says this much."

"Of course I do! Hibi-kun is super duper smart!" Psyche replied without any hesitation, his eyes glistening with said admiration. “Hibi-kun knows everything Iza-chan does, and even more! And he’s not just all brains either. You'll know when you see him, he's that great!"

[We'll be seeing him? Is he coming over here, then?]

"Nope~" Psyche sang, shaking his head. It seemed that being reminded of someone he was close to had brightened up his mood by a mile. "Hibi-kun's smart and all, but he can't find a way to leave the Forest just yet. Same with Rocchan and Saku-chan. Icchan probably did something to keep them in. But me? I have my headphones, so whatever Icchan did, it didn't affect me.

"That's why Hibi-kun told me to come here. To help you guys and guide you through the Forest so that we can stop Icchan."

Rise's eyes widened slightly. "Is that why I couldn't pick up anything when we went into the TV these past few days? Because the Shadow tried to stop people from entering or leaving the fortress, and that involved blocking me out again?"

Psyche blinked and tilted his head to one side. "'Fortress'?" he repeated, as though the term itself was foreign to him.

"Y’know, that place that looked like some kinda gigantic wall when the inside's actually all glittery and stuff? It got caught on fire for some reason, though, but thinkin' about it, it mighta been an illu--"

"But... There's no such place anymore," Psyche cut Kanji off simply, his words earning him shocked looks and stares.

"Uh... We _are_ still talking about the same TV world, right? I mean, isn't that fortress a part of the TV world? And since the Forest is technically the TV world, then...doesn't that mean blocking the Forest off is like blocking the fortress off?" Yosuke said.

"You're right, Yo-chan, but that's not the problem here. See, this fortress you guys keep mentioning... It doesn't exist anymore. That fire Kan-chan said? It was real. It wasn’t an illusion.”

"But... But why? Why did the Shadow do that?" Yukiko asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Psyche gulped, turning slightly pale. Then he diverted his attention away from the large group of people in the room, keeping his eyes glued to the floor as he held his hands behind his back and tapped a foot against the ground. If he could only use one word to describe how Psyche looked like now, Shinra would say, without any hesitation:

Frightened.

He was frightened.

Psyche was, undoubtedly, being the perfect picture of a child who had learnt of some terrible secret that he was reluctant to share about.

"...Ne," Psyche said after a moment, raising his head slowly to meet everyone's gaze. "That big flea-like Shadow you guys fought the other day... Do you still remember it, I wonder?"


	26. Omen

**April 27, 2013**

By the time Psyche had troughed through the dreadful details of what exactly happened on the day those kids had gone to save Izaya, Satonaka and Amagi were already a little pale while Seta was trying to support Hanamura who nearly collapsed to the floor.

"...I feel so violated," the brunet said. He sounded scared and pissed off and like he was gonna hurl all at the same time.

Shizuo couldn't blame him. The kid had every right to feel that way. Even though Shizuo himself still couldn't get over what the bastard Shadow did to him, part of him was actually relieved that it was only a kiss and not a giant flea literally sticking its mouthpiece into his skin and sucking up his blood. There was something disturbingly invasive about that.

To make things worse, it turned out that the flea - the one that looked like a real flea - was an extension of the flea himself. Like an avatar or something, as Psyche had put it. Shizuo simply saw it as a weaker version of the real thing. It had to be. Otherwise why was there a need for the kids' blood if just physical contact was usually good enough for scanning for information?

"Ugh, I know what you mean." The girl named Kujikawa shook her head. "I didn't get my blood sucked or anything, but Orihara-san's Shadow managed to block me out with some kind of illusion right from the beginning. I guess that means he's got full data on me, too."

"Wha-- Are you serious? But how do you know for sure? I thought he needs to have some sort of physical contact to..."

Kujikawa fidgeted before she answered Satonaka, "Well, it's a little complicated, but basically it's because of how my Persona and Orihara-san's Shadow work. Remember what Psyche-san said? That Orihara-san's Shadow has the same kind of abilities that Kanzeon has?

"That's the thing - usual Shadows can't do anything against Kanzeon's abilities. But if we're talking about a strong Shadow that can do what Kanzeon does, then it's possible that it can peek at Kanzeon's weaknesses and even mess up with Kanzeon's radar. Since they're so similar and all."

"Ohh I see. Like some kind of radio jamming. Or sound waves cancelling each other out," said Hanamura, who had regained his composure.

"Destructive interference," Shirogane murmured, nodding. "That certainly is an apt way to describe it. Though in this situation, I suppose radio jamming is a more accurate analogy."

Shizuo hadn't heard of those terms before, but he wasn't interested in knowing further, neither was he intending to ask for the difference between them.

Kujikawa and Satonaka looked like they shared the same sentiments. "Seriously, guys, physics? As if I needed some kind of reminder about my high school days. Can we just stick to simple Japanese, please?" Satonaka groaned.

Shirogane looked apologetic. Hanamura, however, was not.

"What? How have you not heard about radio jamming before? I mean, destructive interference I can understand, but seriously, _radio jamming_ doesn't sound familiar to you?"

"Well I'm sor-ry for not knowing things that you do. What, are you pretending to be a lousy teacher or something?"

"Oi what do you mean--"

"Yo Senpais, is this really the time to be arguing?" Tatsumi said, interrupting Hanamura and ultimately bringing an end to the ongoing quarrel. The two seniors murmured their apologies while still retaining their mild glares at each other.

"A-anyway," Psyche spoke, appearing unsure if it was alright for him to. "Icchan did all of that to get detailed data on you guys. I'm not really sure why he wanted it, but Hibi-kun would know. He must be waiting for us."

"In that case, we should hurry," Seta said. "The longer Orihara-san is inside the TV, the more danger he's in."

"And this time, I'm coming along."

Everyone turned to face Shizuo, worry and surprise evident in their faces. Even Shizuo himself didn't know why he had done that exactly. It just seemed like the most obvious thing to say, for some reason.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Amagi said, treading carefully. "The TV world is extremely dangerous for people who don't have a Persona."

Teddie tilted his head. "I thought Shadows don't attack people if they don't have one unless the fog’s lifted on the other side.”

"But if we're all going to be together, then the Shadows will just keep coming towards us. The only way we can guarantee they won't go after Heiwajima-san is if we go our separate ways and leave him alone. Which is insane, if you ask me," Kujikawa said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Plus, don't forget, there's always that risk of his Shadow popping up," Hanamura pointed out.

[What?!] Shinra and Shizuo seemed stunned at the new piece of information while Celty continued to type ferociously. [Shizuo, you can't! Having those Shadow creatures coming after you is bad enough, but now this? It's too dangerous. No matter what you say, I won't agree to it!]

"...But that’s assuming whatever’s in there can act as strong enough a trigger," Shinra spoke, after overcoming the initial surprise. “And, see, Shizuo-kun is honest to a fault, so…”

“Hah? As if you’re any better,” Shizuo scoffed, taking no offense.

Celty flinched, and then she looked at the ground.

"A-ahh! I didn't mean to make you feel bad, Celty! Celty, forgive me, please!"

[No, no. It's not Shinra's fault. I should have realised it myself...] Then she turned to Shizuo and typed out an apology for him, to which Shizuo blinked, confounded.

"Why are you apologising?" Shizuo asked. If anything, he should be the one who felt bad here, making Celty worry like that.

Celty hesitated for a moment before typing her reply. [For not thinking things through before I said anything.] She admitted, which only served to add to Shizuo's confusion.

But at the same time, he was also a little...happy? Relieved? Shizuo wasn't entirely sure what this feeling was, but he did know he wasn't as upset about the risk of his Shadow appearing as everyone else was.

(Was it _that_ bad of a thing? All Shizuo understood about Shadows was that they were annoying as hell and were prone to extreme mood swings and came from people’s thoughts.)

Seta sighed. "Even still, the risk is far too great.”

"I don't care, _I'm coming along_ ," Shizuo repeated, putting emphasis on each and every word with a pause in-between. He wasn't sure why he was so determined to go; it was more like, the more everyone wanted to keep him safe, the more resolved he was to oppose them.

His life was his own, after all. And besides, he hadn't done anything for them in return this entire time. It was high time he paid them back for all that they had done for him.

Shizuo wasn't certain if he would be of help if he tagged along; all he knew, without a doubt, was that if he didn't, then he would just be doing nothing again. It didn't have to be some kind of big gesture - he just wanted to do _something_.

And deep down, a part of Shizuo felt that maybe, just maybe, his strength could finally come in handy again for a situation like this.

The detective named Shirogane looked at him intently before facing the rest of her team. "In that case, I believe we have no reason to turn Heiwajima-san down, Senpai."

Her fellow peers stared at her with widened eyes. Shizuo himself was surprised that she would agree.

Shirogane continued, nodding to herself, "This decision is his own to make, after all. I'm sure Psyche-san agrees as well."

"Yup, Nao-chan's right," the pink-eyed copy of Izaya said. "Sou-chan, I know all of you have Shizuo-kun's best interests in mind, but Shizuo-kun has the right to know everything now. The Forest, Hibi-kun and the others, what Icchan's planning... All of it. Especially since Icchan has him involved in this now."

Then the raven turned in Shizuo's direction, giving him a reassuring smile, as if to say he was on his side. Not knowing how else to respond to that, Shizuo simply nodded with an intelligible grunt, which made the smile widen slightly.

Seta, however, still didn't seem convinced. "Even then, the risks involved are..."

"Oh I'll keep him safe! I promise!" Psyche volunteered, raising both of his arms and waving them in the air. "So all of you don't have to worry. Just go out there and do your thing!"

The leader of the Investigation Team didn't reply at first, but when he saw that Psyche and Shizuo were not about to waver in their decisions, he sighed and conceded. Gradually, his teammates gave their agreements, as reluctant as they might've had been.

It was obvious that nobody thought it was a good idea, even Shirogane didn't seem so keen in spite of what she had said earlier, but Shizuo was determined to make it work somehow. It was the least he could do after making that kind of a request.

After the kids gave their hesitant consent, Shizuo felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket and flipped the cover open.

_I still don't think you should go, Shizuo._

While he was slightly baffled as to why Celty chose to text him directly instead of just showing him the screen of her PDA like she always did, Shizuo chose not to question it and went along with her.

_Sorry for making you wor--_

He paused.

This wasn't something he ought to send over a text message.

If he wanted to apologise, he would make damn sure to do it in person. Especially since it was his close friend he wanted to apologise to.

So, keeping those thoughts in mind, Shizuo deleted away his drafted reply and typed in another message in its place:

_I'll be fine. Don't worry._

He sent it without any second thoughts.

At almost the same time, Shinra spoke, with the same cheerful, almost sickening - to Shizuo, at least - smile he usually wore when facing and treating his patients, "Oh hey! Then can I tag along too?"

[How can I not wNO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.]

"Woah that was a fast response! Wait were you in the middle of texting someone, Celty?"

[THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT I TOLD YOU BEFORE. WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO WHAT THE OTHERS JUST SAID.]

"Ehhh, I thought we agreed that we're going to keep things the way they are, Celty. Plus this might be the only chance I have to see the TV world for myself. There's something about Shadows and Personas that I just have to figure out, and I know I can't do that if I never get the chance to see the world they come from, Celty. And Psyche-kun will keep Shizuo-kun safe, right? Then it shouldn't be too much of a problem if I go along since Psyche-kun can protect me as well," Shinra explained soothingly and honestly.

The whole idea didn't seem to sit well with both the kids and Celty, who looked like they were all geared up to protest, until Psyche, brimming with enthusiasm, said, "Yup! It's an A-OK for me!"

[Why are you agreeing with him?! You're only going to encourage him further!]

Psyche, unfazed by Celty's reaction, simply beamed and replied, "Because Hibi-kun told me to bring Shin-chan along, too."

"...Eh?" Shinra, just like everyone else, didn't anticipate that. "He said so?"

"Yeah, Hibi-kun needs to tell Shin-chan something personally."

Celty fidgeted. [Urk... In that case, then I'd better--]

"No, Cel-chan can't come." The smile completely disappeared from Psyche's face and turned into a small frown. "Cel-chan, I know where you're coming from, but Hibi-kun said it's too dangerous for you. I can cover Shin-chan and Shizuo-kun while Sou-chan and the others focus on the Shadows, but I'm not strong enough to do any more."

[Then... Then what about "Hibi-kun"? And... And "Rocchan" and "Saku-chan"? Didn't you say earlier that they have Personas like you do?] The Dullahan paused, and then quickly added: [I just can't rest at ease if Shinra goes alone.]

"Celty..." Shinra smiled wryly, looking like he knew exactly the reason for Celty's worry. Shizuo could tell he was wavering; Celty had that kind of effect on him.

Psyche shook his head forlornly. "It's complicated, Cel-chan. I'm sorry. I know you really wanna go, but we have our reasons."

"...What kind of a half-assed explanation is that?" Shizuo muttered.

Psyche pouted. "Well then, ask Hibi-kun yourself when we get there! We don't have much time! Cel-chan can't go, and that's that!" With a huff, he folded his arms and turned away, acting like some brat who decided by himself that his word was final. Shizuo's eyebrow twitched slightly.

Shinra was about to retort when Celty tapped his shoulder and showed him, as well as everyone else, the screen of her PDA. [It's fine, Shinra. There's no use in arguing with him right now.]

"But Celty..."

[No, it's okay. Really. If we keep this up, we'd be impeding Souji-kun and the others.] She made sure not to show this particular message to the kids, only to Shinra and Shizuo who were within the closest range of her. Then she erased it and typed out another, this time making sure that only Shinra had a chance to read it by inching closer towards him.

In response, Shizuo stepped away, knowing that it was not his place to find out what Celty wanted to tell Shinra. He had a pretty good idea what it was, though, when he saw how Shinra almost got all weepy and immediately pulled Celty into a tight hug, giving her a peck on where her cheek was supposed to be.

At least he got to see the kids' reaction to the display of affection - their blank stares, Teddie's excited whistle, and Psyche's bubbly giggle and bright red cheeks.

"Alright, are we all ready, then?" the raven asked, still looking a little drunk from watching Shinra and Celty. Shizuo and Shinra, along with the Investigation Team, nodded as they gave their affirmation. "Okay then. Let's go!"

So with that, Psyche became the first to take the dive straight into the television screen, disappearing behind the ripples.

Seta was the next to walk up to the television set, but unlike the pink-eyed raven who went before him, Seta didn't enter the screen. Instead, he told the rest of his team to get a move on first, explaining that he wanted to make sure Shinra and Shizuo could enter smoothly.

While waiting for his turn, Shizuo briefly wondered about Celty's earlier text message to him, and why she couldn't just show the screen to him directly. Shinra mentioned she was in the middle of texting someone - could that message be...?

Suddenly Shizuo felt a familiar buzz in his palm and immediately checked his mobile.

_Don't do anything reckless._

Before he could reply, another text came in:

_The both of you._

Shizuo didn't quite know what to make of it until he finally managed to understand what Celty was trying to do all this while. Quickly, he punched in the keys of his phone and sent his reply:

_I won't. And I'll make sure your idiot doesn't too. But Celty, uh... You knew all along you wouldn't be able to go, didn't you? That's why you texted me directly to ask me to help keep an eye on him. And you didn't want Shinra to know about this. Right?_

Before Celty could reply, Shizuo made sure to send another quick text to follow-up.

_Though I'm pretty sure that guy has already figured it out by now._

He could hear Celty typing rapidly on her PDA.

_I can't say I knew, but... I had a feeling this would happen. If it wasn't for Shinra, I wouldn't want to go either._

Shizuo raised an eyebrow at that before he moved on to the rest of the message body.

_And yes, I thought so. But it's not just for Shinra, Shizuo. I want you to stay safe, too. And also... I have a separate request to make._

While Seta was busy making sure the path to the other world was open for Shinra to enter, Shizuo took this chance to glance through the last bit of the text.

_I know this is probably strange and selfish of me, but... Please save Izaya._

Under normal circumstances, Shizuo would immediately spring up and question her, but he held back the knee-jerk urge to do so and, instead, turned to face her with a stiff but reassuring wave of his hand before he followed after Shinra into the world unknown.

***

The first thing Shizuo realised after taking the plunge was that it was the weirdest sensation he had ever experienced.

If he had to try to explain it, he would say it felt like trying to crawl into a big pile of jelly.

A nonsensical analogy, but that was the whole point - it didn't make sense. In the first place, things like being able to physically enter a television screen and finding an entire world inside it shouldn't make sense, so using an analogy that didn't was the best way to describe it.

Either way, it was weird.

Probably the next thing on Shizuo's growing list of strangeness that had been coming up lately was how damn foggy and cold it was in this other world.

Not that Shizuo was expecting anything normal, but then again he hadn't been expecting anything, really. There wasn't anything much to go by to have a rough idea of how this place was like aside from the Shadow things, so Shizuo didn't have much of an impression of it to expect anything, though he did have the idea that it was literally crawling with those black blobs so he was a little taken aback to see how...clean the area was.

"Clean" in the sense that there wasn't much of those blobs he had been anticipating, but also in the sense that the whole place was ridiculously white with what looked and felt like snow.

"Achoo!" Shinra, whom he had landed next to, sneezed. With a soft sniff, Shinra commented, "Wow, is this how the TV world actually looks like? I have to say, it's not what I thought it would be."

 _'...Shinra thinks so too, huh?'_ Shizuo mused, mildly curious about what the doctor had in mind about the place.

"Not...exactly, no," Hanamura responded, shifting his orange-framed glasses - what _were_ they for, actually? Shizuo had forgotten to ask. "Last time we came here, this place looked like some kind of weird and dirty wasteland, but now it's just...a wasteland covered in snow."

"Yeah, I can see that," Shizuo replied. Funny how he could tell even though the fog was so damn thick.

In fact he was so preoccupied with trying to figure that out that he didn't realise the hidden meaning behind what he just said.

"O-oh man, we totally forgot! You guys can't see!" Satonaka exclaimed.

"...We can't?" Shinra sounded just as confused about that statement as Shizuo was feeling.

"What, you mean you can see what's around ya in this kinda fog?" Tatsumi sounded sceptical. "Yo Teds, you got any spares for them?"

"Two spares, coming right up!" the voice that distinctly belonged to the blond kid said, before Shinra or Shizuo could reply. Right after that there was these loud squeaks getting louder with every second before Shizuo felt the usual light weight of his shades resting on the bridge of his nose disappearing and reappearing at almost the same time.

Shizuo didn't know how but his vision cleared up instantly.

"What the..."

"Hmm, so these are what your spectacles are for," Shinra hummed. True enough, when Shizuo turned to check, he saw - with extreme clarity - the aforementioned glasses in place of Shinra's usual pair.

...Only.

...There was something terribly wrong about it.

Something Shizuo thought he ought to inform Shinra about but he found that there was no need to.

It was just a snort at first. Not a quiet one, no, which made Shizuo wonder if the entire thing was intentional from the beginning. Then it turned into an uncontrolled roar of hyena-like laughter as the Amagi girl bent over and wrapped an arm over her stomach while slapping her knee with the other.

"I-I'm... I'm s-s-sorry, hee-hee...!"

...She was starting to sound like she was wheezing.

"Hahaha! Aw man, if only our phones worked in here. We'd be able to take a commemorative photo or something!"

That was probably one of the worst suggestions Shizuo had ever heard. And it pissed him off, but not enough to make his temper flare too much, thankfully. He didn't have any clue what kind of effect his abnormal strength had on this world, especially on people that were in this world together with him.

With a half-amused, half-annoyed look on his face, Shinra adjusted his glasses and turned to face Shizuo, who was, as expected, wearing the exact same eyewear.

"We look ridiculous, don't we?" the doctor said, now playing with the fake moustache below the disproportionate nose that the glasses were equipped with.

"I think you guys look great, though," Psyche said with all seriousness, wearing a cheeky grin in spite of it.

"...You don't say," Shizuo grunted back, doing everything in his power to resist the urge to slam the goofy spectacles to the ground for him to step and crush on. The only reason Shizuo hadn't done that yet was because there was no other way to see through the fog, so it was either he kept the glasses on and looked stupid or took them off and be rendered blind.

Shinra sighed. "I was so upset when Celty can't come with us, but now I'm relieved because I don't want my darling seeing me like this."

"You're not making any sense," Shizuo replied. He couldn't fathom why Shinra would be that bothered about how he looked to Celty. Didn't Celty love him for the person he was and not how he looked?

"It doesn't have to." Shinra smiled. "Anyway is this really all that you have, Teddie-kun? ...Assuming you're Teddie-kun, that is."

At Shinra's question, Shizuo directed his attention to the oval-like suit standing in front of him. It had large, black eyes, a tiny nose, part of its head was blue with some kind of golden outline, and the body itself was wearing a red and white suit. The kind that looked like something a clown at the circus usually wore. But all that aside, it didn't look anything remotely like a bear except for the ears; why the heck did he keep calling himself one, then?

The bulky suit bowed. It was probably nodding, Shizuo figured. "Yup, that's all I have with me right now," the same, slightly high-pitched voice came from the suit. There was no doubt it was the blond, blue-eyed kid named Teddie. "You guys decided to come along at such short notice! There's no way I had enough time to make more for you."

"...Can't be helped, then." Shizuo shrugged. He was the one who wanted to come, so he'll just have to deal with it.

Tatsumi frowned. Unlike most of his peers, he didn't find the whole thing the least bit funny. The same went for Shirogane, who mostly looked like she pitied them.

"Hey," Tatsumi said, "why can't you just make changes to theirs? Y'know, like what you did to mine?"

"Oh! That's a bear-y brilliant idea, Kanji! Why didn't I think of that?" Teddie wriggled his fingers. "Okay! It's time for these amazing paws of mine to whip up some new glasses for our two guest party members!"

"Do we have enough time, though?" Amagi said, having recovered from her laughter as if nothing happened.

"No worries, Yuki-chan! It's been some time, but this is a lot easier than making something from scratch like I did for everyone else. I might need a bit of time if I have to make two, though..."

"Well one of you can take mine, then," Tatsumi offered, already holding out a pair of frameless spectacles with clear, transparent lens, unlike the shades he was currently wearing. "Should save some time, since Teddie can work on just one pair. 'Sides, I've already got a good one on me right now. S'corrective lens, though."

"In that case, I'll take it. Much appreciated, Kanji-kun." After receiving the pair of glasses from Tatsumi, Shinra wasted no time in putting it on and returning the ridiculous-looking one to Teddie. His eyes narrowed at first, but after a moment they returned to their usual state. "Hmm, it's a little blur, but still, good enough for me.

"So all that's left is Shizuo-kun's own, huh?" Shinra continued to say, watching Teddie starting to get busy with his work on modifying Shizuo's shades.

"Yup! It shouldn't take too long, I think."

Seta nodded, probably to show his understanding or approval - Shizuo couldn't tell which - and then placed a large, black bag down on the snow. He instructed the rest of his team to take this time to get themselves prepared and waited for their acknowledgement before he headed off in the northwest direction, picking some clothes from the bag beforehand.

"...What's that kid doing?" Shizuo wondered aloud when he saw Seta suddenly stopping in his tracks and staying perfectly still.

"Hmm?" Satonaka mumbled distractedly. For some reason, she, along with her friends, were wrapping themselves up in coats and scarves and other winter apparel that they had seemingly gotten from out of nowhere. "Oh, that. He does that sometimes. We're not really sure what he's doing either, but he usually comes out of that state armed with new strategies to use. It's just Seta-kun's way of getting prepared, too, I guess."

"So that guy just goes to a corner and...think?"

Kujikawa shrugged while adjusting her scarf. "We don't really know. Senpai never told us. The full details of what's going on, anyway."

Shizuo considered those words.

It was pretty ironic, now that he thought about it. Here in front of was a bunch of teenagers who had such a close relationship with each other, and the leader of this group was obviously hiding something from the others and yet they were perfectly okay with it.

Shizuo couldn't tell for certain if they had realised this, so he chose to remain silent and didn't ask any more about the topic he himself had brought up.

In the settling silence, Shizuo's mind was on the verge of drifting off, deep in his own thoughts, until he caught sight of Psyche moving off in another direction after whispering something in Hanamura's ear.

"And where's _he_ heading to?" the blond spoke, not expecting anyone to give a definite answer.

"Uh," Hanamura started, "he said he's gonna take this time to try and get a feel of where to go from here. Using his headphones. Oh, and to check if any of his friends are around."

"...I see."

Shizuo's eyes narrowed. Intimidated by the change in expression, Hanamura quickly picked up his set of winter clothing that he had gotten from the black bag and scurried away.

But it wasn't like Shizuo doubted what Hanamura had said. What Shizuo doubted, was what _Psyche_ had said to Hanamura.

 _'It stinks,'_ Shizuo realised, his nose scrunching up in disdain. _'Something about what the Hana kid said reeks of the shitty flea.'_

And there could only be one possible answer:

The person who looked so much like Izaya.

The same person who was apparently a physical manifestation of one part of the flea's personality.

Clenching his fists, Shizuo was about to make a turn to follow Psyche's tracks and demand answers from him, but he was interrupted by Teddie's excited yell of "I did it! I'm done! Here you go, Shizuo sir, it's hot from the oven!"

So in the end, Shizuo, restraining himself, simply let out a sigh before he thanked the supposed bear and exchanged the eye wear.

"Looks like we're good to go," Hanamura said, tugging at the thick, light blue collar of a layer of clothing beneath his red coat. "We just need to wait for Souji and Psyche-san to come back, and then we can set off."

While the rest of the Investigation Team nodded, Shizuo's frown only deepened at the mention of the flea-lookalike's name.

"Hmm? Is something wrong, Shizuo-kun?" Shinra asked, making sure the Investigation Team couldn't hear him.

"...There's something fishy about that flea," Shizuo decided to say, responding just as quietly.

"'Flea'...? Oh, you mean Psyche-kun. Yeah? What about him is fishy?"

"I don't really know," Shizuo said with all honesty. "Something about him smells. And it's not the good kind of smell." His nose instinctively twitched as if to emphasise what he just said.

Shinra chuckled lightly. "Let me guess, it reminds you of Izaya?"

"Guy's got the rotten flea's odour all over him," Shizuo confirmed with a nod. "Never realised it till now. Maybe it's because we're in this messed up world. I couldn't smell anything bad when I was with the flea's Shadow either."

"Oh?" Shinra looked intrigued. Shizuo didn't understand what was so interesting about what he just said.

"Then maybe it really is because Psyche-kun and Shadow-san aren't from the world we came from," Shinra suggested. "But, Shizuo-kun, have you ever considered that it is precisely because Psyche-kun is a part of Izaya that he smells familiar to you?"

"Hah? Of course I thought about that. All I'm saying, is that the white flea's up to no good. If he's suddenly smelling like Izaya, then--"

"Sorry to make you guys wait!"

 _'...Well, speak of the devil,'_ Shinra mused as he, along with everyone else, turned in the direction of Psyche's voice and watched the pink-eyed man in the white coat dash across the snow towards them.

Shizuo's expression darkened with suspicion at just the mere sight of the man, who now had his headphones covering his ears. The neon pink cord attached to the set was glowing with a dim, yet somehow bright, aura.

"Psyche-san," Shirogane acknowledged curtly. "I assume you have found the way to our destination?"

"Yup, yup!" Psyche responded, catching his breath while beaming all the same. Somehow, the happier he looked, the more it got on Shizuo's nerves - just like what always happened with Izaya. "Eh? Sou-chan's still not done yet?"

“He’s probably still staring into space--oh, here he comes."

Kujikawa quickly changed what she had intended to say when she, together with the rest of the large group, noticed Seta – already wearing his own winter clothing – walking to re-join them.

"Sorry," he said. "Seems like we're all ready. Let's head off, then."

"Right. Okay, everyone," Psyche said, preparing to run off, "follow me!"


	27. Niflheim I

**April 27, 2013**

Considering how time wasn't to their favour, it made sense that everyone soon found themselves breaking into a run along with Psyche at the front.

Nobody had spoken. Simply remained quiet as they followed their not-so-human guide who looked almost exactly like the current victim they were now going to save.

For Hanamura Yosuke, his thoughts were in a whirl.

It wasn't because of the big information overload from what Psyche had told them - though it might have been partly responsible for his mind's disorientation - but because of what Psyche had whispered into his ear earlier:

_"Yo-chan can see it too, right? That blue door Sou-chan just opened."_

Yosuke remembered how his breath had hitched in his throat the moment Psyche's silky voice hit the nail right on the head.

How Psyche had found out, Yosuke didn't know, but Yosuke wouldn't deny what he said. It was downright creepy, now that he thought about it, how Psyche seemed to enjoy seeing his shocked expression and skipped away like he hadn't just invaded Yosuke's privacy.

_'What the hell was that back there?'_

Yosuke gulped, feeling a cold sensation rise in his chest.

Wasn't Psyche supposed to be some kind of innocent kid who wanted to help as much as he could? Who always tried to look cheerful to bring up everyone's spirits?

So then, why? Why did he do that all of a sudden? How was it possible for someone who seemed so innocent to be capable of delivering some of the creepiest lines Yosuke had ever heard in his life?

_"Oh! Before I forget, Yo-chan, if Shizuo-kun asks, tell him I've gone off to look for Hibi-kun and the others, ne? It's not a lie, but I don't want Shizuo-kun to get suspicious about me just yet. Of course, the same can be said of you and everyone else._

_"Aww, don't look so worried! I promise I'm not up to anything bad, Yo-chan. Trust me on that, okay?"_

_'...Innocent. Yeah right. I can't believe I actually believed that.'_

Yosuke almost snorted aloud, unable to shake away the uneasiness that was now grappling his entire being.

Souji turned back, then, and Yosuke noticed. Seeing his partner's worried look at him instantly drove the anxiety away, which made Yosuke smile back at Souji reassuringly, even though on the inside, he was dying to tell Souji all about what happened.

But Yosuke couldn't do it. Not right now. It wasn't a good time. How could he possibly voice out his suspicions when Psyche was literally the only lead they had left? The last thing anyone needed was to stop trusting in him, and then they'd all come to a standstill again in the end.

And anyway, if he were to tell Souji about it, then he'd also have to explain why he felt that way. Which would mean telling Souji about what he saw back there. Yosuke wasn't ready for that, especially since he was already keeping another secret from his best friend; if he wasn't careful, Yosuke was certain he would spill everything.

 _'Besides,'_ Yosuke reasoned, _'maybe I'm just being paranoid. Maybe there really is nothing else to Psyche-san... Yeah, he was just teasing. I mean, that's what kids like to do, right?'_

Despite that, Yosuke couldn't convince even himself.

"We're here," Yosuke heard Psyche speak, causing Yosuke to flinch.

It was then he noticed a dense, snow-capped forest right ahead, stretching beyond any ordinary human's vision. A thick trail of ashes and glistening material laid at their feet, as if it were a boundary between the rest of the TV world and the dark congregation of coniferous trees that looked like something that came from those classic ghost stories involving haunted forests.

In the corner of his eyes, Yosuke watched as Naoto walked towards the black, sparkling trail and took a pinch of it with her fingers. Slowly and carefully, she rubbed it, before letting the strange sand-like material scatter back into the pile.

"...So this is what lied beyond the fortress," Naoto commented with a hand on her waist, tilting her head back as though she were staring right at the aforementioned fortress.

"Wait. _This_ is the fortress? Or what's left of it?" Chie asked, incredulous.

"I believe so," Naoto responded in a business-like manner. "Of course, without the proper equipment, there is no feasible way to measure the composition of this trail and compare it against the fortress... But aside from that, the fortress is the only architecture in this space that had been set on fire recently, so we can tentatively conclude these ashes are what remain of it."

"What Nao-chan said," Psyche added. "Ah, but don't get the wrong idea - Icchan didn't build that to keep you guys out. The fortress really did come from Iza-chan. Icchan just used it to his advantage, is all."

Yosuke was inclined to believe him, but after what had happened earlier, he couldn't be too sure anymore. Then again, now that he was paying close attention to what Psyche was saying and _how_ he said it, Yosuke couldn't detect the same creepy tone that Psyche had used moments ago.

_'Was I reading too much into it, after all?'_

Yosuke had no answer.

"Ahaha," he heard Kishitani-san chuckle from in front of him, "that's just like the Izaya I know."

"What? Being sneaky as shit and making sure he's the only one who benefits from anything?" Heiwajima-san asked.

"Oh I wasn't referring to that. What I meant was..." Shinra paused, appearing thoughtful. "Well, never mind. I have a feeling that if I say it, Izaya will probably hate me for life."

"Hah? Since when did you care about what the rotten flea thought about you?"

"That's true, I once believed that myself." Shinra smiled enigmatically. "But my precious Celty helped put things in perspective for me, so now it's different, in a way."

Heiwajima simply gave Kishitani this look before shrugging it all off.

"So," Rise said, "it wasn't the fortress. It's here. This is where Orihara-san has been, all this time."

Psyche gave a firm nod. "Hibi-kun should be somewhere in there, too. We need to hurry if we wanna know a sure way to stop Icchan." His face fell into a frown. "But... I have to warn you. It's really, _really_ easy to get lost in there. So stay close to me, okay?"

Yosuke was tempted to decline, but then he mentally smacked himself for his tendency to overreact and left it at that. When the rest of the large group nodded, Yosuke didn't go along with them. That was when he noticed that somebody else did the same as him - doing nothing to show their agreement to whatever Psyche had just said.

_'Heiwajima-san?'_

Yosuke drew in a sharp breath, not sure whether to be relieved or worried that there was someone other than him who similarly found Psyche dubious.

_'Did that mean that Heiwajima-san didn't trust Psyche-san either?'_

Yosuke couldn't help but think that way, especially after he thought back and remembered the disbelief and suspicion reflected in Shizuo's expression when Yosuke told him what Psyche said. Or more like, half of what Psyche said.

"Yosuke," Souji's calm and quiet voice suddenly reached his ears. Yosuke almost jolted when he found his partner standing right beside him, when he was supposed to have been directly in front instead.

Souji looked concerned, but whether it was because of his reaction or something else, Yosuke couldn't be too sure. "Is something wrong? You seem a little...jumpy."

"Nothing's wrong, partner," Yosuke replied, too quickly for his own liking. "Just a lil' nervous about what's up ahead, is all."

Souji's expression didn't change. Knowing what that usually meant, Yosuke cringed slightly, hoping his partner didn't notice, and kept silent. He was so close to blabbering everything that he had to pinch himself as a reminder to hold back as long as he could.

Finally, Souji sighed. "If you say so," he said with a touch of disappointment in his voice. "Yosuke, just... If there's anything, don't hesitate to tell me. Alright?"

Inwardly, Yosuke winced. He felt like a child being gently reprimanded by an unbelievably patient father, and it made him feel terrible for lying to the one person he trusted and relied on the most.

"Y...yeah. I will. Don't worry."

And that was the last time they had a normal conversation before everything fell into disarray.

***

"Senseiiiiiii? Are you thereeeee? Senseiiiii? ...Yosuke?"

Teddie called out for his two closest friends with his paws framing his mouth.

After he made the call, he remained still, waiting for a response. When it didn't come, Teddie whimpered, and began his walk through the forest again, calling for his friends.

He had been doing that for the past few minutes, ever since he found himself separated from the rest of the group.

Teddie hadn't been careless. Not in the least. He was sure he had been walking through the forest with everybody else, and remembered Psyche's warning and stayed as close as possible. All he did was just to turn around and check - really, it was only that one time - if everyone was following correctly, only to see that they were all gone.

Then when he turned back in a hurry to tell Psyche, Rise-chan, Chie-chan and Yuki-chan, Teddie found that he couldn't because they were gone too.

"Aaahh... Where is everyone?"

Teddie sniffed as he looked around worriedly.

He had been trying to smell for a familiar scent, but he couldn't find one throughout his search. That usually meant he was too far away to pick up anything, but at the same time, it could also mean his nose wasn't working properly again. Teddie didn't know which of the two it was and hoped it was the latter; at least there was a chance someone could be nearby.

Hanging his large head low with drooped ears, Teddie continued trotting his way around. The fruitless search was terribly demoralising, and it really didn't help that everything looked exactly the same wherever he searched. He could've been walking around in circles without knowing for sure, and he couldn't find his way out no matter how far he walked.

Close to tears, Teddie took one big sniff and repeated his yells: "Senseiiii! Yosukeeee! Is anyone there?! Sense--oh?"

His ears twitched at the sound of running waters.

Perking up at the new discovery, Teddie dashed his way towards the sound, continuing to call out his friends' names with rekindled enthusiasm.

He didn't even notice how the trees seemed to lessen somewhat as he approached the soothing sound, and the sheer thickness of the tall shrubs concealing his view.

Giving the snow-covered bushes a firm push, Teddie leapt onto the bank of a sparkling river with both arms raised. "Sensei! I finally found...you..."

Teddie trailed off when he took a better look at the person sitting on the riverbank across him.

In a way, he was glad his bear instinct wasn't wrong when it told him that the sound of the waters meant that somebody was nearby. But on the other hand, Teddie was sorely disappointed to find that it wasn't his Sensei or Yosuke or Kanji or Chie-chan or Yuki-chan or Rise-chan or Nao-chan he found.

Instead, the person sitting across him - who was now looking up from his long, wooden pipe and gazing at Teddie with beautiful azure eyes - had hair that didn't belong to any of his friends, and an outfit that Teddie did not recognise. This stranger was dressed in a white kimono-like attire, with a haori that was blue with large streaks of white. He had his feet in the running waters of the river, his zouri set aside on a rock right next to him.

Still, there was something...familiar about this stranger, but Teddie couldn't exactly--

"Oh dear, is something the matter? You seem to be in quite a rush," the stranger spoke. The moment Teddie heard his voice, the missing puzzle piece fell in place.

"Ohh! Shizuo? Is that you?" Teddie beamed. It might not be Sensei or one of his friends, but Shizuo was someone he knew, at least, so it wasn't too bad. "What happened to your clothes? Oh and your eyes! I almost couldn't recognise you!"

To his surprise, the blond didn't respond at first, and then he chuckled. "Ahh, I see... You're one of those children who want to save Izaya-san."

The tone that he used was completely different from the way Shizuo usually spoke. It was amazingly gentle, and had a nice calming effect from just listening to it. It was almost like Teddie was hearing Sensei speak instead of this person whom he had initially believed to be Shizuo.

"Huh? So... You're not Shizuo?"

"I'm afraid not," Not-Shizuo replied with a somewhat troubled smile. "Let's see... I believe you've already met Psyche-san right?" Teddie nodded. "I'm similar to him. We're both Shadows, just different from the usual vicious ones around here."

"Ohh I get it now, you're just like me!"

Not-Shizuo blinked, looking a bit surprised. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, that's what Psyche-chan said! I'm a Shadow, too. But because I developed an ego or something, I'm like a human, too. That's what Sensei and my other friends told me," Teddie replied, being filled with the excitement he had felt when he heard about Psyche's story and realised he had finally met someone who was just like him.

But that enthusiasm quickly died away when the blond suddenly looked upset and regarded him with a tinge of pity. "Ah," he sighed. "I see... That's what Psyche-san told you, is that right?"

"...Huh?"

Teddie scratched the back of his ear, wondering where he had gone wrong with the conversation.

Not-Shizuo brought the pipe to his lips. He held it there, and then he brought it away, breathing out smoke as he got to his feet. Keeping the sad smile in place, Not-Shizuo tucked away the pipe and went to his zouri, and knelt down as he wore his socks and put on his sandals.

"What's your name, little one?"

"Um--huh?"

Not-Shizuo turned to face Teddie directly, his smile now bright and welcoming. "Your name... I don't believe we've introduced ourselves just yet, have we? I'm sorry, it slipped my mind. My name is Tsugaru. Tsugaru Kaikyou Fuyugeshiki."

Teddie beamed, the earlier gloom he sensed from Tsugaru now clean forgotten. "I'm Teddie!"

Tsugaru nodded with a chuckle. "It's nice to meet you, Teddie-san. Now, I apologise if this seems sudden... But do you mind listening to me for a moment? I'd like to tell you a story... About Psyche-san and myself..."

***

"U-uwaaah!"

_Flop_

The sound of something sinking into snow.

"Here, Tsukishima-san. ...Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'll be fine. Th-thank you, Souji-san."

The man who had tripped due to the thickness of the snow was full of gratitude, but his manner of speaking indicated more nervousness than anything else.

It couldn't be helped, Souji supposed. After all, this man - whom he was accompanying and who was also accompanying him - was more likely than not a physical manifestation of some aspect of a particular person's personality.

In other words, he was a Shadow. And as was expected of the nature of his existence, everything about him embodied that very aspect - to the point of exaggeration. Souji had graciously lost count of the number of times Tsukishima had tripped over himself or had accidentally brought him to parts of the forest that were teeming with Shadows.

"It's not a problem," Souji assured, helping Tsukishima up to his feet. "But at any rate, please, be careful. I'm sure your friends will be upset if they see you get hurt."

The red-eyed man adjusted his spectacles, giving Souji a sheepish chuckle. Unlike Heiwajima Shizuo-san, whose physical appearance he shared, Tsukishima's voice was a pitch higher, and much meeker and more soft-spoken.

"Um, well, I don't really know... But I-I hope you're right..."

Souji tried not to let the surprise show. "I'm sorry, I must've said something--"

"A-ah! P-please don't get the wrong idea, Souji-san! They're nice people, they really are!" Tsukishima exclaimed - which, for most other people, was more like speaking normally rather than an outburst. Then, the volume of his voice lowered to his usual manner of speaking as he continued hesitantly, "I-it's just... Um... I never really talked to them much, so I'm... I'm not really sure how they're like, or what they think of me. I-I don't want to trouble them anyway, so it's alright if they don't think much of me at all. Just..."

"...?"

"...J-just... A-as long as they're not...scared of me..."

"Why would they be afraid of you?" Souji was taken aback. From his interactions with Shizuo and Tsukishima so far, he couldn't think of any possible reason to fear them.

Tsukishima blinked, his cherry red eyes widening as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "B-because I'm me, Souji-san."

"Eh..."

"People should be afraid of me. Because I'm me. Because of what I am. Isn't it? Isn't that why? That's always been the case, so it has to be, right? I mean, I always hurt people even though I don't want to, even when I'm trying to help. I thought I could be of strength to other people, but I'm not. I _can't_. And I won't.

"Souji-san, did you know? I'm strong. So strong that I can hurt other people badly, even when I don't mean to. That's why people are scared of me. And...and I don't think they're wrong at all. It's only natural they'd be scared. This strength of mine isn't normal in the least and I _can't control it_. I can't control it, Souji-san, do you know how frightening it looks to other people?"

"Tsukishima-sa--"

"In their eyes, I'm just a monster that has no control over myself. And they're right. I am. In the first place, why does someone like me even exist? I grew up in a normal family. I have normal parents. My brother would be normal if not for me--do you know what I did to him, Souji-san? I nearly threw a whole fridge at him for stealing my pudding. That's it. That's all. I almost wanted to kill him for something so _stupid_. He never had the normal childhood he deserved because of me.

"Why? Why did I turn out like this? Why can't I never do anything right? Why do I keep giving trouble to the people around me? I... I wish I didn't--"

" _Tsukishima-san!_ "

Tsukishima gasped, freezing at the sound of Souji's yell.

He had been rambling without so much as a stutter, and he didn't realise it.

"Wh... What was I talking about, Souji-san? I-I didn't mention anything strange, did I?"

Souji drew in a sharp breath, eyes widening slightly as the determined expression was wiped clean from his face.

_'He...doesn't remember?'_

"U-um, if I did, I'm really sorry. I tend to ramble a lot, a-and I tend to forget what I've said, so... I-I get lost in what I say at times, so I never really, um, take note of what I've said. Ehehe..."

"...Tsukishima-san..."

"I-I'm such a handful, aren't I? I'm really sorry. I can't help it..."

"Do you often feel this way, Tsukishima-san?" Souji asked, making sure to be as gentle and understanding in his approach as possible. "Feeling like you're lost and have no idea where to go?"

"Eh..."

Tsukishima fidgeted, swiftly turning his head to avoid meeting Souji's eyes. His lower lip quivered as he reached for the pale blue scarf around his neck and grabbed fistfuls of it in a trembling grip.

"...Y-yes," he finally replied. "I-I always feel that way. No matter what I say, what I think, and what I do... I'm always getting myself lost in everything. That's why..."

He paused. His grip tightened even further as he struggled not to lose himself in his current speech, but it only served as a greater source of anxiety when he found that it had ripped in his grasp.

Taking heavy breaths, Tsukishima immediately released his grip. He looked at his hands with a tormented expression on his face. "Th-that's why... I don't want people getting close to me. I-I'll only be nothing but trouble...no, a disaster to everything and everyone."

"That's not true--"

"It is!" Tsukishima snapped, suddenly turning towards Souji with a fierce but haunted look. For a split second, Souji thought he saw the blond's eyes flash gold. "You know what I can do, Souji-san. You know it, it's not normal. I'm putting people in danger just because of my existence. Even now, I'm putting _you_ in danger because I don't know what I'm doing anymore. Don't... Don't you think of me as a monster?"

"I don't," came the firm reply.

Tsukishima's eyes widened.

With a warm smile, Souji continued, "There's more to you than just that, isn't there, Tsukishima-san? I've seen it. Even though it's only for a few days, I've seen how you're like."

Even though he was currently speaking to Tsukishima, Souji's words were clearly directed at Shizuo, as he said everything with the fortissimo of Ikebukuro in mind.

But because of the fact that Tsukishima was part of Shizuo, and especially because he was the physical manifestation of Shizuo's self-deprecation and helplessness, Souji believed it might be better if he spoke to Tsukishima directly. He hoped his words would have some form of effect, considering how most of his friends seemed to have had arrived at some realisation about themselves upon awakening after their Shadows had calmed down.

"You're more than just your physical strength, Tsukishima-san. You can be kind, and gentle, and considerate of others. You're not afraid to stand up when you see wrongdoings, and you're always making sure to keep things in order so that you don't trouble other people.

"Of course, it's not just your strengths that make you who you are... But it doesn't change the fact that there are people who love and care about you, Tsukishima-san."

"...People that...love and care about...m-me?"

Souji nodded. "I'm sure you know who they are."

"...Someone who loves and cares about me..."

Tsukishima mumbled. He stared at Souji blankly, hands subconsciously reaching up to his scarf again--

\--and this time, he held it gently, using as little strength as possible without him realising it.

***

"......Hm?"

Shizuo craned his neck to the side and looked up into the tree-obscured sky.

"...Oh? What's wrong, Shizuo-kun?" Shinra briefly stopped in his tracks to ask.

"Nah, it's nothing. Just..." Shizuo paused, frowning slightly. "Just felt calm all of a sudden, is all."

"Calm, huh? Haha, you really are something else, Shizuo-kun. I can't say I feel the same... Not when I'm so far away from Celty."

The moment of serenity dissipated as a burst of irritation rose in Shizuo's chest. "I get it already, dammit. You don't have to keep saying that. Seriously you _do_ know that you didn't have to come if you didn't say you wanted to, right. That white flea probably wouldn't have remembered to bring you here if you didn't say anything in the first place. Celty only let you because she didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"You think I'm not already aware of that?" Shinra sighed, shifting the borrowed spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "It's precisely because I know that I keep mentioning it, Shizuo-kun. So that I won't forget how much Celty has sacrificed for me," the doctor said with a joyful smile. "So of course, the only way to remind myself of how amazing my darling is, is to keep talking about her!"

"...If Celty had a head, she'd be sneezing and having a cold all the time no thanks to you," Shizuo commented dryly. It wasn't like he particularly believed in that myth, but Shinra did, which was all that mattered.

"Oh, that would certainly be very troubling for my poor Celty," Shinra considered Shizuo's words seriously. "But it's alright! I'll always be there to make sure she's warm and recovers quickly~ Then I can also just keep praising her in her presence so that she won't ever have to fall sick."

Shizuo resisted the urge to sigh and point out that Celty would probably just get embarrassed 24/7, and left the conversation at that, not wanting to drag it on any further lest it would give Shinra even more opportunities to ramble and gush over his private - as in, _really_ private - moments with Celty, which Shizuo had no interest in knowing. He didn't need those details to know that Shinra and Celty were leading a happy, loving life with each other anyway.

"Oh right," said Shinra, "so what was that about being calm, you said?"

"Ah, that. I don't understand it myself. Just had that feeling for no reason." Shizuo shrugged.

"Well, considering the fact that your flea senses aren't tingling, it might mean we're not about to meet Psyche-kun anytime soon. Perhaps you instinctively felt calm because of that?"

"...I guess."

"Right?"

While keeping his usual smile plastered to his face, Shinra started moving off. Shizuo quietly followed.

"Hmm and maybe it's because of the atmosphere around here, too."

"Atmosphere?" Shizuo repeated, raising a brow.

"Remember? Apparently Shadows don't attack people who aren't Persona-users, for whatever reason." Just as Shinra said this, a pile of black gooey substance crept past him, as though completely oblivious to his and Shizuo's presence. The eccentric doctor took this opportunity to wave gleefully at the creature. "And, well, since Shadows simply ignore us, it creates a sense of peace in a way, doesn't it? Since we know that Shadows couldn't care less about us, we don't have to worry about being attacked, after all."

"Hn..."

Shizuo mumbled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Shinra's claim.

Truth be told, that didn't exactly come out right, but then again, the other option in his mind then was to snap and tell Shinra to stop waving at every single damn Shadow that crawled past because it was starting to get _freakin' annoying_. Not to mention completely unnecessary, too.

"Hehe, aren't they adorable? They're like the three blind mice from that movie I watched with Celty the other day," Shinra said as he waved at another one.

Shizuo snorted. "You're only saying that because they aren't attacking you."

"Celty and I got ambushed before, remember? I know how vicious they can be. But it still doesn't change my opinion of them. The supernatural is just too lovely. Ah, but of course, Celty is my one and only true love out of all of them, so don't go getting wrong ideas!"

Shizuo fell silent, feeling slightly embarrassed for forgetting that Shinra and Celty had been attacked by Shadows the previous night.

But thinking about it now...

If those Shadows managed to find them, but normally wouldn't have been able to if it was just Shinra alone there...

Then didn't that mean that the Shadows had been tracking Celty all along in order to get to them?

...Was that why Celty had the feeling that it wouldn't be right for her to be here in the TV world?

Shizuo kept these thoughts to himself. He knew that Shinra had already figured out that Celty was being mindful of Shinra's feelings in letting him venture into the TV world, but he couldn't be certain if Shinra had also figured out that Celty was trying to keep him safe, too. Knowing Shinra, though, that was most likely the case.

But Shizuo didn't feel like asking to confirm the validity of his assumption.

Because he knew that if he did, he would probably have to deal with a Shinra who wouldn't shut up.

And so, deciding to ask Celty instead when he got back, Shizuo silently walked behind his childhood friend who continued cooing over the black blobs, seemingly oblivious to the thoughts in Shizuo's mind.

And then, at some point while they were moving forward--

Shizuo bristled as his nose scrunched up.

Stopping in his tracks, the former bartender turned and looked around. Despite the unusually cold air pricking his nose, there was no doubt that there was also a certain odoriferous _sting_ to it that screamed nothing but "Izaya" to him. Like the way a stinkbug shamelessly spreads its unpleasantness.

The smell wasn't exactly faint, and was growing stronger with every passing second, distinctly coming from somewhere to his left. And so Shizuo focused his attention there, giving the trees and whoever else was in there that was giving off the stench nothing short of a glare.

"...Oi, Shinra," Shizuo said. "Stop acting like an airhead and get your ass here. There's something weird here."

"Hmm? Did you say something, Shi--whoa!"

_Thud_

"O-oi, Shinra?"

Shizuo looked over his shoulder in Shinra's direction, and saw his elementary school classmate on the ground. Or at least, that was what Shizuo had imagined it to be.

For his view of the doctor was blocked by a large, black mass that had been perfectly still, the back of the Shadow facing him.

"Shin--"

"Ugh... Don't distract me like that, Shizuo-kun," Shinra said, sitting up and brushing the snow off his clothes. "You made me trip over this adorable creature here. Which, I have to add, is actually more solid than I expected. I thought I had tripped over a rock there."

"Wait, Shinra--"

"Mm? Aww look, Shizuo-kun! It looks like it's staring straight at me! I wonder if it felt the impact when I tri--"

"Shinra you _idiot_ get the hell away from there!"

"Wha--whoaa!"

Shinra's yell pierced through the cold air as Shizuo dashed towards him and shoved him aside just as the Shadow exploded.

Wriggling like desperate worms, the remains of the "explosion" shifted into the form of a swarm of butterflies and masks, fluttering about as the other half of the remains gathered and formed the shape of a proud knight, completely clad in armour and riding upon a legless horse.

While Shizuo was too occupied with thinking of a way to deal with such a situation, Shinra, being Shinra, "ooh"-ed as the Shadow blobs shuddered and changed forms.

Even as the knight raised his lance and the swarms darted towards them, Shinra, who seemed to have lost all sense of danger, didn't stop observing the Shadows as a keen scientist would his test subject.

That was probably the greatest irony of their current predicament.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Snap out of it, Shinra!" Shizuo yelled as he leapt and ran away from the Shadows, yanking Shinra by the collar of his coat to drag him along.

"Ow, Shizuo-kun, at least give me a warning before you do that?" Shinra said, sparing the blond a disapproving glance.

"In case you haven't noticed, idiot, they're _attacking us._ "

"I know! Isn't that precisely why it's amazing?" Shinra replied cheerfully. "They can't even see where we are, yet it doesn't stop them from trying! They're more savage than I thought."

"I think their sight is perfectly fine. It's yours that needs checking."

Shinra didn't bother to respond to that, too far gone in his delusion that the Shadows were still blind to his and Shizuo's presence.

Then, as if to prove Shizuo right, the butterflies fluttered violently in their direction, while the knight took precise aim at the pair and tossed the lance.

The realisation that he was currently the one of the two more capable of rational thought struck Shizuo so hard it overrode that very part of him that thought rationally, anger and frustration at his situation and everything that had happened recently suddenly overflowing like the water from a leaky tap he had forgotten to fix.

And so, as if that tap had been sent flying from the pressure of the water, Shizuo let his temper take control of him--

\--and effortlessly uprooted the nearest tree and swung it at the impending threat.

Stunned by the unexpected counter-attack, the butterflies scattered and fell out of formation.

The lance, however, had pierced right through.

As the lance had been hurled at them with inhuman strength and precision, it shattered the bark of the tree and tore their sides - Shizuo's left, and Shinra's right.

" _Ugh_ \--!"

"Shit! Shinra!"

Ignoring his own injury, Shizuo rushed to his friend's side, who had fallen to the ground on his knees, holding his bleeding wound.

"I'm fine," Shinra replied breathlessly. "I've had it worse once... Haha, but Celty isn't going to be pleased to see this when we go back, right? Ahhh she'll panic. Then she'll get mad and not want to talk to me anymore for being the reckless idiot I am. I can just imagine the look on her face... I don't think I can bear seeing her make that kind of expression again..."

"If you had been worried about that, you'd be more careful about what you're dealing with in this messed up world. Not doing stupid things like waving and getting close to the damn Shadows," Shizuo couldn't help but push part of the blame to Shinra for their current predicament, even though he hadn't meant to. Shizuo knew he had some share in the responsibility for distracting Shinra in the first place, and for indirectly getting him hurt like this.

"...I'm sorry," Shizuo added, not knowing exactly what he was saying sorry for when he already had too much to apologise about.

"It's fine, Shizuo-kun," Shinra said with a smile on his face. Shizuo wasn't sure if the doctor was saying that out of genuine understanding of what Shizuo was apologising for, or if it was simply the most obvious thing to say as a response to an apology.

But it wasn't the time to think about that.

With its only weapon gone and the tree lying in pitiful splinters on the ground, the knight tugged at the reins of its limbless horse and charged straight at Shinra and Shizuo, while the butterflies gathered into their respective swarms.

Afraid of the possibility of hurting Shinra even more, Shizuo didn't risk uprooting another tree, and didn't risk moving Shinra to another place to escape the inevitable head-on attack. Instead, the fortissimo of Ikebukuro stood in front of his childhood friend, flexing his knuckles in preparation for a direct blow to the Shadows, like the time he fought the Saika children with only his fists at his disposal.

But the similarities ended there.

There were no crazy, possessed humans here. No cursed blade, no declaration of love. Only monsters that sought nothing but violence. The violence Shizuo despised with every fibre of his being, but was ironically the epitome of.

_'That means I can use it against them, right? I can use this abnormal strength of mine to fight back, right?'_

Shizuo wasn't sure who he was directing those questions to.

All he knew, was that if he didn't call upon that violence he was capable of committing, he would be subjecting his friend to a similar sort of destruction.

So, without giving Shinra time to react, and without giving himself the luxury to hesitate, Shizuo charged forward with the hopes he could take the fight as far away from Shinra as possible.

When Shinra understood what Shizuo was trying to do, he called out Shizuo's name, but Shizuo didn't care. His left side was bleeding like shit, but he didn't care. He didn't have Celty's gloves with him this time, but he didn't care. He knew he would get an earful from Celty herself, if not Shinra, but he didn't care. Everything else just seemed to stop mattering to Shizuo in his current state: filled and driven by the desire to _protect_ as the promise he made with Celty replayed itself in his mind.

As the two terrifying forces drew closer and closer to one another, Shizuo readied his fists. The butterflies fluttered their wings furiously, and the horse let out a shrill cry when the knight tugged its reins with more tenacity than it did before. When he came to a suitable distance, Shizuo brought his fists forward.

At the instant his eyes met the knight's, he noticed the familiar eerie red glow and a small part of him wondered briefly if they would flash back to something normal. Something more human.

But this time, Shizuo didn't will for his body to stop. The gap between them was already far too close, leaving far too little time for him to react fast enough if he wanted to change his mind.

So when the pungent odour from earlier shot right up his nose, and a neigh that lacked any ghostly tone, Shizuo couldn't react quickly enough to pull himself back.

_BAM_

The sound was not of unusually powerful fists meeting iron and horse hair.

It was of another horse ramming straight into the one the knight was riding.

Unable to stop his body, Shizuo forced his fists to slam right down at the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the snow and some nearby trees flying.

The intruders to the scene, however, remained unaffected by it.

Panting with beads of sweat trickling down his temples, Shizuo straightened himself as he took a closer look.

To his surprise, the Shadows were completely gone, leaving no trace of their presence whatsoever in the entire area which was now barren of snow and filled with fallen trees and unsightly, exposed roots.

And instead of a knight clad in deep, violet armour riding a legless, equally violet horse, there was now a man - who had a golden crown resting on his midnight black hair, and dressed in a plain, white attire with gloves, metal boots, and a yellow robe over his shoulders - sitting upon the most beautiful of horses Shizuo had ever seen. Its coat was pearly white, appearing to have the same quality as top-grade silk, and its mane and tail, a humble yet bold shade of yellow, bordering blonde. The reins were just the right shade of pink, and even seemed to glow, adding to the exquisiteness and majesty of the whole image.

The only thing that really, really ruined Shizuo's overall impression of it, though, had to be the stench coming from the man. Or maybe it was the horse. Shizuo was leaning towards it being the man because the stink was uniquely Izaya and Izaya was most definitely not a horse.

"...Hmph. 'Tis quite the ruckus you have made here, I see. Though perhaps I should not be expecting any less from Heiwajima Shizuo himself."

With eyes that reminded Shizuo too much of Izaya's Shadow, and the voice that was unmistakeably Izaya's own, the man gazed at Shizuo intently and continued to speak, "Salutations, gentlemen. You may address me as Prince Hibiya. I have been expecting your arrival."


	28. Niflheim II

**April 27, 2013**

"Ow-- Not there-- Ow! I wasn't even ready for that--ow!"

"Please stay still, Kishitani-sensei."

"I'm trying, Naoto-chan, really I am, but you can't expect me to - ow! - to do that when you're emptying the entire antiseptic solution on me--ow!"

"I'm sorry, Kishitani-sensei, but this is our only alternative for now. Without proper healing abilities, we can only rely on the medical supplies we have at hand to treat your wound. Please try to bear with it."

"Owwww but the doctor in me is protesting! This isn't the proper way to treat a wound! ...Gah!"

"K-Kishitani-sensei?"

"Aaahhh... Celty, Celty... I think I see a light. Is that your radiance I see, coming from worlds away?"

"Arrrgh... That's it."

Before the detective could protest, Shizuo stomped over to her and snatched the half-empty antiseptic bottle from her hands before pouring whatever else remained onto the gash on Shinra's side.

Immediately the doctor recoiled, bending and folding over onto himself as he held his wounded side, yelping out in obvious pain. The sharp sting that the disinfectant slapped onto his injury brought tears to Shinra's eyes.

" _Owww_ Shizuo-kun, what on earth was that for?!"

"You were annoying me," Shizuo answered simply, keeping a hand in his pocket while tossing out the emptied bottle aside with the other. "Besides, you were troubling her. Trust the kid a little more on this."

"No, it was no trouble at all," she replied. "It is our responsibility to make sure Kishitani-sensei and Heiwajima-san are safe, after all."

Which was why the first thing Naoto did, when she saw the states Shizuo and Shinra were in when Hibiya brought them here, was to answer for that very responsibility.

While it was Heiwajima-san and Kishitani-sensei's choice to venture here, that didn't change the fact that Naoto, along with the rest of her teammates, were still responsible for their safety. The Shadow World was fraught with nothing but dangers coming from all directions, the subconscious and unconscious dangers of human thought and emotion. It was only natural for Naoto to feel obliged to keep innocent parties who had no means of facing such perils protected and unharmed as far as possible, in her stance as both a professional detective as well as a member of the Investigation Team.

"...Hm?" Shinra spoke. Before long, he could stand on his feet, upright and steady. "I'm healed already?"

"It's how things like that work in here," Kanji explained.

He had been together with Naoto when everyone else had disappeared, no doubt separated from each other and lost in the labyrinth-like forest due to some form of external interference - or so Naoto believed.

"Indeed," Naoto said. "While still a far cry from what proper healing spells are capable of, the medical supplies we bring in are quite satisfactory at times. It seems that certain real world objects have unexpected effects in the TV world."

"Ooh. How fascinating." Shinra patted his once bleeding side, seemingly pleased that it no longer hurt as much.

The sound of hooves dashing across the snow ended the discussion, as the man bearing Izaya's appearance rode in and joined the four, seated comfortably and poised proudly on the back of his horse.

"Gentlemen," Hibiya acknowledged. Kanji not-so-gracefully cleared his throat, making the prince look in his direction with a raised brow. Then with a blink, the confounded expression was gone, replaced by one of understanding. "And milady," he added, nodding at Naoto apologetically.

Naoto wasn't certain if she should be grateful or utterly embarrassed, so she settled for a blank nod back, oblivious to the warmth on her face.

"I see you are holding up well," the golden-eyed raven commented rather dryly. He circled around them while mounted on his horse, watching them keenly with distant eyes as though he were observing them from a throne, a pedestal higher than any other. "Alas," he said, "if it only I could speak for your fellow comrades, as well."

Kanji's shoulders sunk. "You couldn't find them?"

"Aye. 'Tis quite a worrisome matter, if I am to admit, for Alfred has soared through the forest plenty a times, only for nothing to be yielded. I fear they are too far lost for me to find."

"But... That means they're still safe, right? I mean, no news is good news, or something along those lines?"

Hibiya nodded like a wise king would in agreement with his council. "It is as you say, Tatsumi Kanji. We can only hope my kinsmen and Heiwajima Shizuo's own have already located and are guiding them to the origin of the rivers."

He didn't explain further, though it was obvious he wanted to. Hibiya looked like he had been waiting for this moment for a very long time - the moment when he would divulge all that he knew. He only had to wait for someone to ask, and he would say.

It was at this moment that Naoto could finally see the person whose presence she hadn’t seen for some time.

Sakazaki. The guise under which Orihara Izaya had crafted for himself in a bid to trick classified information from her grandfather as well as herself.

Naoto first met Orihara - then Sakazaki - when she was twelve-going-on-thirteen, already equipped with three precious years of experience of her grandfather's pupilage. Old enough to begin attending middle school, but much too young to be binding her chest and speaking in forced, low tones, and even younger still to bearing the burden of the Shirogane mantle independent of her grandfather's guidance.

Orihara was twenty, and had introduced himself as such. He claimed to be conducting an interview as a requirement for his university project, where he had chosen the topic of criminal psychology as his project's focus. Having heard much about the Shirogane family's field of expertise, he was hoping to look to them for the insight he needed.

It was at the Shirogane mansion that Naoto first met Orihara. She had returned home after a tiring day of investigation and putting up with her colleagues' insults, and found him conversing with her grandfather in his study. They had just completed the interview, and her grandfather was about to show Sakazaki to the gates but stopped when he saw Naoto by the door.

She was stunned, for lack of a better word. Not that he was exceptionally good-looking or had any outstanding physical features to speak of - on the contrary, he had none of that, and was about as average as average could be - but his eyes were what drew Naoto to him.

Those eyes sung of a wealth of knowledge. An archive well-concealed behind the auburn curtains.

And if there was anything else a twelve-year-old Shirogane Naoto had wanted more than her colleagues' affirmation, it was knowledge.

_"Sakazaki-san..."_

_"Hmm?"_

_"M... May I enquire if you could visit whenever it is convenient for you? I think... I can learn a lot from a man as knowledgeable as you."_

_Sakazaki blinked in mild surprise, before a warm and understanding smile accompanied his answer, "Of course. It would be my pleasure if I can be of aid to Shirogane-san's capable grandson. But we'll have to get your grandfather's permission first, alright?"_

_The child in Naoto wanted to beam and thank him excitedly, but the young detective caught herself and held the childish reaction back in. Instead, she gave a rehearsed, stiff nod and a formal expression of her gratitude, even though in reality, she was dancing with joy on the inside._

Their acquaintanceship lasted for three years, but it was the happiest three years of Naoto's life. At least, that was what Naoto believed before the truth about its artificiality bared its unpleasant jaws; before she went to Inaba and met the people who changed her life completely.

\--But that was not for her to recall right now.

Naoto observed Hibiya's eyes, and felt the familiar magnetic pull to the sheer abundance of information and knowledge as she did. His gaze was intent and knowing, yet thirsting for more knowledge despite the wealth he possessed. But above it all, his eyes were blazing with the desire to share all that he knew, with the confidence and perhaps even arrogance in the knowledge that he wished to impart.

There was no doubt about it. Hibiya wasn't just Sakazaki, or just any persona Orihara had crafted for himself - he was the embodiment of the very knowledge Orihara had prided himself on as Tokyo's best information broker.

And now this manifestation was staring expectantly at her, his stoic expression telling Naoto all that she needed to know about him.

Naoto stepped forward.

_"Sakazaki-san," she heard the voice of her distant self echo in the recesses of her mind, "please, tell me more."_

"Hibiya-san," Naoto said. "I'm afraid we don't know what you mean. If it's not too much trouble, could you please tell us more?"

For a moment, there was only silence, save for the sound of the running waters from the nearby river. Shinra, Shizuo, and Kanji had not spoken a single word, and simply kept their attention on the scene unfolding before them. Hibiya and Naoto maintained their stares at each other.

The silence was broken when Hibiya's horse - Alfred - gave an amused neigh, raising its head to the sky and shaking it playfully.

Hibiya leaned forward, maintaining his hold on Alfred's reins while he stroked its mane gently. Then, with the smallest of smiles, the prince sat back upright, and nodded.

"Come," he beckoned, "I'll explain as we make our way."

***

The whole thing was most likely his own fault, now that he thought about it.

If he hadn't been so flimsy about deciding if Psyche was to be trusted... If he hadn't been so firm on not telling Souji about what was wrong...

Perhaps things would've taken a different turn, and he wouldn't be where he was right now.

Separated from the rest of the group. Lost in the creepy ass forest. Being pinned to the ground by another Orihara Izaya-lookalike whose glare was a little too frightening for Yosuke to handle.

Or maybe it wasn't the glare but because this whole setup was starting to remind him of the night he and Souji met with the crazy red-eyed people - "children of a cursed blade called Saika", Kishitani-san and Celty-san once explained. The way this particular lookalike's eyes were of an unnaturally bright shade of red, the absolutely feral look on his face, how he was holding up a bloodstained switchblade right above Yosuke's eye...

To cut the long story short, it gave Yosuke the creeps. More than Psyche's innocent-child act did.

While thinking of a way to somehow wriggle his way out, a part of Yosuke couldn't help but ponder, _'How the heck did I end up in this again?'_ And then vague memories of being too deep in his thoughts and worries to pay attention to his surroundings told him all that he needed to know.

 _'...Right,'_ Yosuke thought sourly to himself. _'I didn't even realise I had gone off-track until this guy shoved and yelled at me. Haha... How pathetic is that?'_

A bitter smile found its way to Yosuke's face.

"...What are you so happy about?"

Yosuke snapped back to the reality of his current predicament when he heard his captive speak, only to find himself being stared - glared, was more like it - down by those bright, crimson eyes.

_'Crap, I pissed him off even more!'_

"Uh..." Yosuke started. He tried to move his hands up to show a surrendering gesture out of reflex, but realised with a tinge of horror that he couldn't because the lookalike only shoved him down further. "Th-this is all a big misunderstanding. C-can't we--"

"Annoying."

"Huh?"

"You're annoying." The person wearing Orihara-san's face twisted it into an even angrier expression that spoke only of hatred and disgust. "You, humans, everything... You all annoy the hell out of me."

"Um... Why do you think that way?"

"Because you humans never do anything right." His expression twisted even further. "So pathetic, so flawed, so hopelessly blind... Even the humans aware of their own limitations still desperately cling onto the belief that they're above all that. That they're _special_ ," he spat the word with pure, utter contempt, "or some other idiotic thing when they're just like any other person out there.

"...You humans are all the same. Why do I even bother with you? The world is better off without an absolute pain in the ass like you all."

The genuine reply took the fear out of Yosuke and replaced it with the familiar sensation of an imaginary blade stabbing right into his gut, reminiscent of the times he felt this when the people of Inaba whispered behind his back, the times he felt a pang of envy whenever his partner did something he couldn't, the time when Konishi-senpai--

_'Shit, not now, not now...!'_

"H-hey," Yosuke tried again, "I-I think I get what you're trying to say, so--"

"No you don't," the raven snapped, bringing the tip of the switchblade closer to Yosuke's eye. "That's just another trait you disgusting humans share: thinking you know everything when you're all complete morons who need somebody to sort things out for you. And I've had enough of it."

Yosuke gulped. He could feel his heart leaping to his throat. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't ignore the sight of the blade directly above his left eye and the morbid images of what could happen if he didn't do something right now flashing in his mind.

"Just... Ahaha, j-just calm down first, okay? I'm sorry I made you angry, really really sorry. A-and I won't ask you for forgiveness or anything. I mean, I'm just a lowly, pathetic human, right? I don't deserve something like that, right?"

His captive regarded him with caution, eyes narrowing in suspicion. As the silence continued to drag on, Yosuke only grew more anxious, but he fought against the urge to squirm or struggle - even in his current panicked state, Yosuke was perfectly aware that putting up any signs of resistance would only spell terrible things for him. The only option was to wait for a decision to be made; a decision he, unfortunately, had no say in. It was what made the waiting that much worse.

Then, without any warning whatsoever--

The Orihara-san lookalike raised the switchblade.

_'Aw man aw man... This is it, this is it. He's gonna dig my eye out. I'm a goner. I'm a freakin' goner. Shit...!'_

With such thoughts now filling his mind, Yosuke couldn't help but let out a quiet whimper and closed his eyes tightly shut. Out of fear, he turned his head away, hoping fervently that the raven would somehow miss and just scrape his cheek and _not the eye, please not the eye..._

But the impact he had been dreading didn't come.

Instead, he heard something dripping onto his thick coat. It dripped, drop by drop at first, but as time went on, the sound intensified until it almost sounded like someone was pouring water on him.

While holding his breath, Yosuke timidly opened one eye. What he saw made him turn back to face his captive directly.

"What... What in the name of hell are you doing?!"

As he shouted to lookalike, Yosuke mustered up the strength to reach out and grab the raven's arm in a tight grip, unintentionally shoving him off his body.

"Damn you, human, let go!"

"Right, and let you stab yourself? You've gotta be kidding me! As if I'll let you or anyone do that to themselves!"

Red eyes glowered at him, but this time Yosuke wasn't about to be intimidated. "Seriously, what is the matter with you? First you push me to the ground, hold up a knife, then you pretty much insult the entire human race, and now you're stabbing yourself? Why are you doing this? What's making you--"

"You said it yourself."

"...Huh?"

"The answer. You said it yourself." The lookalike turned to avoid Yosuke's gaze. "I hate humans," he muttered simply, his demeanour now calm and relaxed even though his grip on his switchblade remained as tight. "I can go on forever about why I do. Nothing will change how I feel about them. But in the end, or somewhere along the way, I'll remember... That that's no different from what I'm saying about myself."

Yosuke flinched, but didn't - couldn't - make a reply.

"And you... What you said made me remember. That I'm just a lowly, pathetic human myself. That no matter what I do, I'll never deserve forgiveness. That I'm just as every bit as revolting as any other human. And that hurts." The raven chuckled darkly. "That hurts, you know? To remember. To be reminded. I didn't want that. I _don't_ want that. But nothing's going to change the fact that I'm human. I realised that a long time ago."

"...So you decided to deal with it," Yosuke paused to glance at the other's torn sleeve, watching the blood trickle and form a small pool on the snow, "by doing this to yourself?"

It wasn't as hard to understand as Yosuke initially believed it would be. In fact, he could even feel an inkling of empathy towards the man.

Not that he had gone through the same experience or anything, but Yosuke could definitely relate to his former captive to some extent. Seriously, all that he said pretty much boiled down to: "I hate everything, but most of all I hate myself, and no matter what I do, this detestable nature of mine won't change. And that sucks. That really, really sucks."

Yosuke was mildly aware that a lot of people probably felt the same way, but to Yosuke, this was something closer to home than he thought. If listening to this had taught - or, to be more precise, reminded - him anything, it was the fact that he, Hanamura Yosuke, would always be weak.

He had been weak as a kid, too young and clueless to truly understand how biting his words could be to other children his age. He had been weak as a middle schooler, putting up no resistance as popular opinions shaped and influenced his mindset, thinking it was the only way to fit in. He had been weak as a high schooler, knowing exactly the weaknesses that lied in his heart yet lacking the courage to admit them.

And here he was now - at a loss of what to do, of what to say; becoming caught up in his own memories as he grew painfully aware of his own limitations...

Of his own complete and utter selfishness.

_'What am I doing? Right in front of me is someone who's hurting and wants to hurt himself further, and all I can think about is my own problem? Wow, Hanamura, you're a genius. An A+ genius.'_

Thinking back, it had ultimately been this self-centred thinking of his that got him into this in the first place. Keeping those secrets from Souji weren't only for the team - it was also for himself. All this while, he just didn't want to deal with the consequences if he were to tell everyone about what he knew, and so he did all he could to run away from such a responsibility.

"Running away...huh?" Yosuke hadn't realised he had spoken aloud as he whispered to himself.

_'That's what this guy's been doing too, right? He hates himself so much that it hurts him, and he's trying to run away from that hurt by directing it externally instead...'_

If the red-eyed man heard what Yosuke had unintentionally said, he gave no indication of it. He simply remained still, keeping his gaze at the ground.

And then he suddenly stiffened.

Giving Yosuke no chance to react, he forced his arm out of Yosuke's grip and pinned him down to the snow again, death glare back in full force.

"Don't talk as if you know me," he hissed. "Damn you, you made me lower my guard for a moment there. But now that I know what you're up to, don't get any high hopes of your little trick working again. You hear me, human?"

"L-loud and clear," Yosuke croaked, choking from the impact.

_'Damn, this guy's unstable... If this keeps up, I'm gonna be stuck here for life.'_

"Hey, uh--"

"I thought I told you not to get your hopes up," his captive replied icily, wasting no time in placing the bloodstained switchblade on the side of Yosuke's neck.

Yosuke's body froze, but inwardly his mind was going crazy; the tingling on his neck, from the coldness of the blade and the warmth of the blood trickling down from the blade, didn't help in the least.

"Just...listen for a sec, okay? I'm not going to do anything to you, I swear. But I'm kinda running low on time here and I really need you to hear me out."

The Orihara-san lookalike narrowed his eyes, but the blade on Yosuke's neck didn't move.

Yosuke took that as a cue to say his piece, "Alright then, first things first... Do you know of anyone called 'Psyche'?"

***

"...Say, Shitsuo-san?"

"Yes, Satonaka-sama?"

"I'm sorry if I already asked, but... Where exactly are we going, and why can't we walk together with Yukiko and Sakuraya-san?"

"It's perfectly alright, Satonaka-sama. If not for your questions, the realisation that neither you nor Amagi-sama has been told would have slipped my mind entirely."

The blond in the butler uniform stroked his chin, and kept his free, gloved hand behind his back as he walked with the perfect posture. In contrast, when Chie walked, she did so while swinging her arms a little more than the average person does, and cared nothing about whether she had her back straightened or slightly hunched over.

Shizuo was pretty similar to the both of them, in a way. He mostly walked like Shitsuo did, and sometimes even spoke like him too, but if someone got on his bad foot, he'd stick his hands in his pockets and lean forward before chasing after his offender. Kinda like a professional predator people could only find in the wild.

"Let's see..." Shitsuo said. "Ah, let me put it this way. Shall I answer your question with a question of my own?"

Chie shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Thank you for your graciousness." Shitsuo bowed, to which Chie attempted to wave off. "Satonaka-sama, do forgive me if I come across as impudent, but have you noticed that we have been moving along the banks of a river?"

Chie glanced to her right. The calm waters were streaming past them, against their flow of direction. The surface of the river sparkled in the overcast of shadows of the forest, like the brilliant crystals Chie saw back in the fortress before it was razed to the ground.

"Yeah? What about it?" she asked when she turned back to face her companion.

"This forest may appear as challenging to traverse as one does a labyrinth, but in reality, it is much simpler than that. For unlike mazes and labyrinths that were designed to make you lose your way, this forest is designed for the exact opposite."

"It is?"

"Yes. The river you see here, Satonaka-sama, is but one of many in this forest. Nine, to be exact. And they all share the same place of origin." Shitsuo folded both hands behind his back. "That is where we are heading to right now."

With a hum, Chie directed her gaze to the river again. "So the rivers are like a guide? A landmark sort of thing?"

"Something similar, yes," Shitsuo said with a curt nod. "By moving against the course of the rivers, we will eventually arrive at the heart of the forest where the origin of the rivers lies."

"The heart..." Chie's eyes flashed in recognition. "Where did I… Oh hey, isn't that where the Shadow is waiting for us?"

"That is precisely right, Satonaka-sama."

"Hmm, I see." Chie nodded to herself, sounding impressed. For a dungeon that sprouted from a person's subconscious and grew like a wild weed, this place seemed rather well thought-out, as was the fortress.

"As for your other question..." Shitsuo trailed off, putting a finger to his chin. "Well... Sakuraya-sama may be a handful, but I cannot always be there to restrain him. It tires me out, if I may be honest. Simply seeing him ruins whatever little of a good mood I may have."

Chie laughed at this, which she almost regretted, but thankfully Shitsuo didn't look like he was bothered by it. "You're like his nanny or something. It's kinda cute."

Shitsuo cleared his throat. "Ah, my apologies. I did not mean to complain."

"Psh. It's fine. People ought to have their moments to vent.”

"No..." Shitsuo spoke, appearing slightly troubled. "As a butler... As someone who believes in and upholds order, it does not seem right to be complaining about my profession. Or the master I serve, for that matter."

"Well... I think it's fine."

"Is that so? You have an interesting way of thinking, Satonaka-sama."

"Huh," Chie muttered. _'This guy's kinda like Yukiko... Now that I think about it, the only time I really heard her complaining is when we met her Shadow... Is Heiwajima-san facing some kind of problem about venting or something?'_

Chie tried to extrapolate on that, but thinking about these things wasn't exactly her forte. She was driven mostly by her emotions and instincts, so she usually stuck to what she knew and could understand, and centered her decisions around it.

So, instead of thinking about things that might not turn out to be true, Chie decided to dive straight to the point. "You know, it's not a bad thing to complain every once in a while. Keeping all that frustration bottled up is bound to get you into trouble someday. If you're not happy with something or someone, just say it. Sure, you might hurt somebody's feelings, but at least you can settle things instead of dragging."

Shitsuo seemed to consider her words seriously. Chie merely stared in mild apprehension; she had never been one who was good with giving effective advice or encouragement, for one of her principles in life had always been to speak what her heart said, and sometimes her heart said blunt things.

For a moment, all Chie could hear was the flow of the peaceful river waters and the footsteps of her boots and Shitsuo's polished shoes stepping across the snow. When Chie looked down, she could see the shoeprints left behind by Yukiko and Sakuraya, who were already far ahead of them in the journey to the rivers' origin, and part of her was itching to shrug the conversation off and catch up to them - "Save the victim first, talk later", after all.

"What if..."

"Hm?" Chie looked up.

"What if...in releasing that 'bottled up frustration', I end up disrupting the very peace I am striving for? What, then, is the purpose of venting when it does nothing but breed destruction?" Shitsuo raised his head, and Chie did the same, but there was nothing to see except for the cluster of tree leaves and branches. "I would become an existence that has no meaning, would I not?"

Chie flinched. "That's, um, going a little too far..."

"Perhaps." Shitsuo's lips pulled to a small, wry smile. "But if my purpose for existing is to maintain peace and order, and yet that very purpose is destroyed by my own hands, then does that not mean my existence is meaningless? Would it be too far to say, then, that I am dragging on my pointless existence when I had many opportunities to settle it all along?"

"Don't say that about yourself!" Chie berated. This was her heart speaking, just like it had moments ago, and now it panged with regret and self-directed anger at the unintended effects its earlier words. "There's no such thing as a pointless existence, ya hear? We're all born into this world not knowing what we're here for, but we'd figure it out someday. It might be tomorrow, it might be today, heck it might be any moment right now, but that doesn't change the fact that we were born without any direction in life. And that's okay.

"If you think you exist to maintain peace and order, and end up destroying that purpose anyway, that's okay too. I mean at least you can proudly say that you've had a purpose in life at some point, right? To many other people who are still searching, or wondering if what they're doing is their life's purpose, you'd be the target of their envy. Like me, y'know? I mean, I sorta have a dream, and even though I always sound sure of it, sometimes I'm not, but that's okay too. I think. Anyway, whatever it is, it's all okay in my book! ...Am I even making sense?"

Chie laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her head.

In response, Shitsuo chuckled quietly. "I am very grateful for your kind words, Satonaka-sama. They are truly quite enlightening. I will...think them over seriously."

"Oh yeah you'd better." With a cheeky grin, Chie gave Shitsuo a thumbs-up.

Shitsuo blinked, as though unfamiliar with the gesture, but masked his slight confusion perfectly with a professional smile.

***

"...You've been awfully quiet, Amagi Yukiko-san."

"E-eh? Well, I suppose..." Yukiko fidgeted. "Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this meeting to be so--"

"Awkward?" the man with shimmering ebony locks and eyes that were akin to the most breathtaking sakura flowers finished for her. With an equally beautiful smile, he continued, "In that case, I should apologise as well. I've failed to make you comfortable in my presence, haven't I?"

"N-no, not at all!" Yukiko was quick to protest, unable to keep herself composed before the man.

He was adorned with a sakura pink haori over the plainest of kimono, but the way he carried himself was in no way as bland. His aura alone spoke of how grand and noble his background must be; an air of grace and humility that Yukiko could only associate with the princesses of the Edo period, the most mysterious yet fascinating time of ancient Japan.

So before such a man, Yukiko could not see herself as anything more than a simple commoner. A commoner walking side-by-side with an Edo princess. With that kind of mental imagery, it was impossible to remain calm in Sakuraya-san's presence.

"...Fufu," Sakuraya chuckled, hiding his amused smile behind his sleeve. "You're lying. I can tell, you know."

Yukiko winced. Was she that transparent?

"You are. Everyone is, in fact."

Yukiko's eyes widened; she was certain she hadn't said that aloud.

Sakuraya chuckled quietly again. "I can read you like a book, Amagi-san," he said, as if it answered everything.

"U-um..."

"Oh, I can't really explain myself. I've always been this perceptive for as long as I can remember."

"Then--"

"Yes. It is as you say, Amagi-san," Sakuraya said, nodding. "Adaptability... Knowledge... Loneliness... And finally, Perception. That is me. So, I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, but it is in my nature. I'm afraid I can't help myself."

"I... I see."

Yukiko resisted the urge to gulp. She wasn't scared or anything, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy, as Sakuraya had said. Having someone see through you, as though they were reading your mind... It felt like she was being stripped naked.

She didn't know if she was trying to dodge the problem, but she focused on what Sakuraya had said about himself.

_'If Sakuraya-san is Perception, and assuming Psyche-san is Loneliness... Then that leaves Knowledge and Adaptability. I wonder... Since Psyche-san seems to look up to this Hibi-kun so much because of his intelligence, then Hibi-kun must be Knowledge. And Rocchan is...'_

"Would it help if I mentioned that Loneliness includes extreme pessimism?"

Yukiko quickly turned to face Sakuraya, who was still hiding part of his face behind his sleeve.

"...Psyche-san isn't Loneliness?" she asked. No point in concealing her thoughts anymore, it seemed.

Sakuraya lowered his sleeve, revealing a thin frown. "Good heavens, no. Wherever did you get that idea?"

"Well... He always has this look--"

"And you trust everything you see about him?" Sakuraya shook his head with a sigh. "My, my... He's certainly gotten you people good, hasn't he?"

"Wait... You mean he's putting on an act?"

"Not just about himself, my dear Amagi-san. He's pulled the wool over all your eyes this whole time. Masterfully so, I must add."

Yukiko drew in a sharp breath. If even his innocent demeanour was an act, then what of Psyche's words? Were they simply lies he had spun, or was there at least a semblance of truth in them? Yukiko didn't like doubting other people. It wasn't in her heart to do so, unless there was undeniable evidence like the time with Adachi, but by then it would be less of doubt and more of anger that she, or her friends, had been deceived.

Chie had always said that Yukiko was the scarier of the two of them, if they got angry. Chie might be tenacious but Yukiko was like a box of explosives - leave it untouched, and the box was harmless. Feed it a flame, and the whole thing would blow. That was the analogy Chie used to describe the manager of a family inn when said manager passed judgement on people with horrendous conduct.

Yukiko just found it funny. She remembered bursting into laughter. Chie pegged that to her explosives analogy too and it only made Yukiko laugh even harder.

But right now, Yukiko was starting to see where Chie was coming from. If what Sakuraya said was true, and Psyche had lied to bring everyone here into the heart of danger, she was certain that she wouldn't hesitate to sic a Mind Charged-Agidyne on him. Repeatedly.

"Ah, but not everything he said was a lie, though," Sakuraya clarified. Yukiko immediately shelved the thought about setting Psyche on fire and paid close attention. "I can't be certain of what he said exactly, but rest assured he wasn't lying completely. He adds threads of truth in his web of lies. It's how he paints such a convincing picture to bring you all here."

Yukiko reconsidered shelving the thought.

Sakuraya hid behind the sleeve again, no doubt thoroughly tickled by the whole thing. It was rather unsettling to see someone Yukiko had thought to be a benevolent princess seem so entertained rather than disapproving of Psyche's actions.

"You must forgive me. It's been some time since anything exciting happened, so I can't help feeling rejuvenated." Sakuraya's eyes gleamed. "Well, don't be too hard on Psyche-san, regardless. He's not fully aware of what he's doing, I believe you should at least give him some allowance for that."

Yukiko frowned. "'Not fully aware'...? So he's lying without him realising it?"

"Something along those lines," came Sakuraya's cryptic reply, his sweet smile concealed from view. "You'll see soon enough."

"Hm..."

Yukiko couldn't say she was satisfied with that answer, especially when it concerned her friends' safety.

"Well, enough about Psyche-san." Sakuraya waved the matter off before Yukiko could ask further. "Let's talk about you."

"...Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you. Tell me more about yourself."

"Um, why--"

"On second thought, let me say it for you." This time, Sakuraya didn't bother hiding his sugarcoated smile that was starting to drip with venom. "Starting with how you look, you seem to be in some kind of position despite your age. Your posture, and the way you fold your hands... Let me guess, you've been brought up by a family deeply-rooted in traditions, preparing to take over the family business."

Yukiko suddenly felt very self-conscious, but she tried not to let it show.

"And with how you've been acting so far... You're obviously unsettled by my presence, yet you don't want to voice it. I take it that means you think of me as a noble of some sort? Or at least, someone with a high social standing? ...Projecting some sort of complex on me, I believe?"

"H...How did you--"

"A princess complex, if I'm not wrong. Princess seems right." Sakuraya nodded to himself, inching closer and closer to Yukiko. "Raised in a constrained environment... Trained as an heiress and nothing more... It's really not that hard to guess."

Yukiko fidgeted. The feeling of being stripped naked came back to haunt her.

"Hmm... Does that mean you long for some princely figure? Or romance? Some kind of distraction, at least? After all, it must've been awfully stifling, being--oh dear."

Before Yukiko realised it, a fight was breaking out mere inches away from her.

Holding her skirt down, the manager of the Amagi family inn turned to her right, where Sakuraya used to be. His place was now occupied by two people, one of them being Sakuraya, and the other Yukiko recognised as the blond in a butler suit who had been following them from a distance. They were holding each other at blade-point - Sakuraya with a katana on the blond's chest, directly above his heart, and the blond with a handful of kitchen knives held between his gloved fingers like a fan, blocking the katana, and another handful held in a similar fashion at Sakuraya's neck.

"Shi...Shitsuo-san?" Yukiko breathed out.

_'Wh-what is he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be with Chie?'_

"I apologise for startling you, Amagi-sama." The butler - Shitsuo - didn't turn to face her, directing his full attention at the raven in the pink haori. "But when I noticed Sakuraya-sama has been most impolite, I could not help myself. Please grant me this selfish request to take matters into my own hands so that I may discipline him accordingly."

"Y-you really don't have to--"

"Tsk," Sakuraya clicked his tongue. "You're no fun, Shitsuo-san."

"I believe we have established that we have very, very different ideas of 'fun', Sakuraya-sama." The edges of Shitsuo's lips curled into a playful smile. "Honestly. What should I do with you? Always giving other people trouble... It upsets me."

"Shitsuo-san is never upset when dealing with me. In fact, I daresay you rather enjoy drilling obedience into me, what with enforcing law and order and maintaining the peace being your fetish.”

"That, I won't deny. After all, like I said, we have different ideas of 'fun'. Whatever you dislike, I will do unto you. As long as I am making you upset, I am having 'fun'."

"Sadist," Sakuraya giggled.

"Tyrant," Shitsuo retorted, clearly unamused.

"How mean, Shitsuo-san. Hibiya-san is more of a tyrant than I am, but I never see you calling him that."

"Hibiya-sama is a wise prince who knows how to restrain himself unless you goad him," Shitsuo sighed. "Which brings me back to what I wish to say. Please stop giving other people ideas, Sakuraya-sama. You make them do the strangest things sometimes."

"But if they don't want to do it, then they wouldn't, would they? It's not like I force them to. Besides, if they don't see the reason or truth in my words, they wouldn't do anything. The fact that my words elicit some form of response must mean I'm right in some way. Ne, Amagi-san?"

Yukiko jolted at the mention of her name. "H-huh?"

Shitsuo sighed again. "Leave Amagi-sama alone, Sakuraya-sama. You're troubling her, just like you do everyone else. Have you no sense of self-control that you require my constant discipline?"

"But you like it." Sakuraya stuck out his tongue. Yukiko tossed her previous image of the Edo princess entirely out of the metaphoric window and decided it was high time to re-evaluate the surprisingly childish and rude man.

"Yukikooooo! Shitsuo-saaaaan!"

Yukiko looked in the direction of the voice. She saw her best friend running towards them. "Ah, Chie! Thank goodness, you're alright."

"Came close to getting lost again, though." Chie panted. "Man, Shitsuo-san really gave me a shock there. We were in the middle of discussing something when he suddenly took off without me! Said something about Sakuraya-san making trouble for you or something. You're alright, right? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

For the first time since her walk with Sakuraya, Yukiko smiled. "I'm fine, Chie. Thank you."

"Heeh," Sakuraya hummed, a mischievous glint in his sakura pink eyes. "I see how this is, now. It looks like I was right about you after all, Amagi-san. You know, about your prin--"

"Please stop making Amagi-sama uneasy with your words, Sakuraya-sama."

"She doesn't appear that uneasy to me." Sakuraya snickered.

"...Ugh, what a creep.” Chie shook her head. "How could you even stand being with him for this long?"

Yukiko could only give her a sheepish smile.


	29. Borderline of Madness

**April 27, 2013**

"How is it, Rise-chan? Have you gotten in contact with anyone yet?"

"Mm..."

Rise was mumbling distractedly, brows furrowed as she concentrated.

Her hands, which had clasped together in a position of prayer, were the first to tremble. Then her elbows, and the entire length of her arms, and finally her knees before the brunette swayed and buckled, Kanzeon disintegrating as she collapsed onto the snow.

"Aaaah! R-Rise-chan, are you alright?"

Psyche hurriedly helped Rise up, concern and fear evident on his features.

Rise held a hand to the side of her head as she tried to shake the dizziness away. "I'm fine... I think."

Psyche heaved a sigh of relief before pouting. "Rise-chan... I'm really glad you're okay, but don't push yourself like that again! I already lost sight of Shizuo-kun and Shin-chan even though I'm supposed to be protecting them. If even you were to come to any harm, then..."

"Hey, don't make it sound like I'm some fragile thing you have to protect with your life." Rise pouted as she got up. "I may not be able to fight, but there's one thing only I can do, so I gotta make sure I give it my 1000% to make up for what my friends can't do!"

"...'One thing only I can do'..." Psyche trailed off. That phrasing seemed familiar, but he couldn't recall when he had heard it, or why it suddenly sounded so important to him.

"I got it!" he heard Rise shout not long after. "Psyche-san, I think I found something!"

"Really?" Psyche asked, his usual bright smile back in place. "Who is it?"

"This feeling... I think it's Naoto-kun and Kanji-kun! And they're together with Kishitani-sensei and Heiwajima-san!"

"Aaahh so they're safe, right? They're safe, right?" Psyche was close to tearing up from extreme relief.

Rise nodded, breathless from the excitement. "I would think so. If they're with Kanji-kun and Naoto-kun, they're most likely safe. I'm only worried if they have enough medical supplies, in case they run into any--oh?"

"Huh? What's wrong, Rise-chan?"

"I'm picking up two more signals, but... I can't tell who they are." She paused. "They kinda give me the same vibes as you."

"...Ohh." Psyche's eyes flickered with recognition. He chuckled sheepishly. "So they're here too, huh? Then I'm even more relieved."

"Are they your friends? The ones you've been talking about?"

"Mm-hmm. They know this place inside-out, so don't worry, Rise-chan. They'll keep a lookout for your friends and make sure they're safe."

Rise let out the breath she had been holding. "That's great to hear."

Giggling, Psyche jumped up and down. "Do you sense anyone else with the same vibes you mentioned?"

"Hmm... Let's see... Ah!" Rise stretched out her hands and pointed in many directions, going in a full circle. "I'm picking up some signals coming from everywhere. They must be getting to the rivers' origin, too."

"Hehe, then we gotta beat them to it~ I wanna be the first one there. Let's go, Rise-chan!"

"Oh wait, Psyche-san--"

In his excitement, Psyche didn't stop to wait for Rise to dismiss her Persona, and took off in a series of skips with both arms outstretched. He was like a plane gone autopilot, and certainly felt like one in every sense of the phrase - with his headphones on and the tug of the mental link to Izaya's heart, Psyche happily and assuredly closed his eyes as he allowed his body to glide, guided by nothing but the intimate bond he had with the forest.

While everyone else had to use the rivers as landmarks, Psyche had no need for that, for that was just how the nature of his existence worked. Even until now, he still had no clue what he was supposed to be, but those worries were shoved into the back of his head which was now filled with the ecstasy of finding Izaya and finally meeting his friends again.

_'I can tell they're here, but if even Rise-chan can sense them, then they must be really near...!'_

"Ahhh I can't wait, Tsu-chan!"

Psyche spun in the air before resuming his skips. He wasn't aware he had done this, neither was he aware of his surroundings, nor the fact that he was supposed to have stayed close to Rise. In such a state, Psyche was quite literally in a world of his own, his head stuck in the clouds and his feet constantly off the ground.

In such a state, Psyche was as vulnerable as a fly heading straight for a venous flytrap. Anything could strike him down, and by the time someone could snap him out of his self-induced trance, he would've already found himself caught in-between the jaws of his predator. This was why he needed Hibiya, who was as grounded as Psyche was air-headed, as bull-headed and obstinate as Psyche was fleeting, to slam him out of harm's way.

So, as if the Shadow world had recognised the vulnerability and the precariousness of his current state, the next step Psyche took had him colliding with someone he didn't think he would meet so soon.

"Oof, watch where you're going-- Hm? Psyche?"

"H...Hibi-kun!" Psyche exclaimed at the top of his voice, the rude awakening leaving him uncertain if he should be happy or frightened at seeing his princely counterpart.

Hibiya raised a brow haughtily as he stood and brushed the snow off his clothes. "You sound most displeased and surprised. Did you not anticipate our encounter in a place such as this?"

"N-no! I knew you were nearby, but I just didn't think you'd be _this_ near."

"Hmph. Then you must have been fiddling away in your own world, as usual. Can you never stay still without my presence? I have not the time to spend effectively on both you and Alfred, you must understand."

Psyche giggled sheepishly as he got to his feet as well. There was a sharp buzz coming from his headphones, but by the time he thought he heard something strange, the noise was gone.

"Ah, that's right, Rise-chan said Nao-chan and Kan-chan and Shin-chan and Shizuo-kun were together with you! Where are they? Are they safe?"

Hibiya blinked slowly. "...Ah. The commoners." He nodded. "Yes, Alfred is looking after them. There is no need for you to concern yourself with their safety now."

"Whew," Psyche sighed, "that's a relief."

"However..."

Psyche flinched. He recognised that condescending tone.

"I believe I entrusted _you_ with the duty of watching over them, to ensure they are protected in this realm... Or did you not remember my words in a moment of your usual folly?"

"H-Hibi-kun... I--"

"You wish to say you are sorry? That you did try your best, but these things are ultimately out of your control? You are a fool if you believe I would forgive your transgressions so easily when you do not seem to understand the gravity of your mistakes. You would ask not for forgiveness and understanding but punishment deemed fit if you do."

Shuddering, Psyche gripped the hems of his white coat and escaped Hibiya's piercing, merciless golden gaze by lowering his head. Words could not find their way to his lips knowing they would be shot down by Hibiya's own, who wielded them as masterfully as he did his sword.

Even in silence, Hibiya could always find a way to drive the blade deeper. "Irresponsible and sloppy as always," he said pointedly with a huff, folding his arms. "Had it not been for the ability unique to yourself, I would not have given you those instructions. Do the implications of your actions ever bear weight in your mind, Psyche?"

"..."

"Nothing to say for yourself, I see." Hibiya sighed. "But that should be the case, should it not? After all, when have you ever done anything that is for your own sake?"

Psyche's eyes widened. He looked up, but only saw Hibiya as he remembered him: the crown resting on black hair, bright yellow eyes, face pulled in a perpetual frown, a yellow robe over white, silky clothes...

But something was amiss. That much Psyche could tell.

"Hibi-kun..."

"Hm?"

"H-Hibi-kun...wouldn't say something like that."

In the face of Hibiya's cold glare, Psyche stood firm, and gazed intensely into the pair of golden eyes. His headphones were blaring with sirens that wailed in times of perils and emergencies.

"Hibi-kun may act all high and mighty and think of himself as above other people, but he wouldn't ever poke at their insecurities like that! That's Saku-chan's job anyway!" Psyche shook his head and took a step back. "You're not Hibi-kun... Who are you? And why are you posing as him?"

"Psyche-san!"

Psyche turned swiftly at the call of his name. The brunette whom he was supposed to have been accompanying bent forward as she panted. "R-Rise-chan? Oh man, I'm so sorry, I-I forgot--"

"Never mind me!" Rise raised her head; Psyche could see the tenacity and fear in her eyes. "Psyche-san, you need to get back! That person... He's bad news... I know him from somewhere!"

"Eh--"

"Well, enough with this facade, then. I was getting tired of pretending to be that stuck up, arrogant brat of a prince anyway."

With a twisted smile that looked disturbingly wrong on Hibiya's face, the imposter conjured up tendrils of shadows from the ground. They wrapped around him until only his eyes could be seen, and as they peeled away, revealing the familiar fur-trimmed coat and the hood pulled over the wearer's head, the eyes gave off a chilling, eerie glow.

"Yo, Psyche," a multitude of voices spoke, blending around the core that was Izaya's voice. "Did you like my greeting?"

***

In another part of the forest where a river was flowing, a group of four people - two adults and two teenagers - found themselves chasing after a prince on his speeding, galloping horse.

"Hey mind slowing down a little?! You're getting everyone else killed over here!"

"Nonsense," the prince snorted back, keeping one gloved hand on his crown while clutching onto the reins with the other. For all his earlier talk about how a prince should act with dignity and grace, Hibiya certainly wasn't being very dignified at the moment. "If I can still hear your breaths and words, you all must still be very much alive."

"Oh hey, here's a thought: if you're such a smartypants, then you'd know that people can die from overexerting themselves when they're running, right?" Shizuo contended, his patience running so thin it was pretty much nonexistent by now.

"D-dying... Need... Air..." Shinra gasped, speaking between pants.

Kanji coughed. "Why are you... In such a... Mad rush anyway...?"

Breathing heavily with an indifferent expression, Naoto asked, "Is... Is it...?"

"Aye," Hibiya answered readily and monotonously. "'Twas Psyche's distress signal. I must hurry to his aid."

"He can take care of himself just fine, right? I thought he could fend off a whole buncha Shadows on his own," Shizuo yelled.

"Aye, but you do not realize it yet, Heiwajima Shizuo. These are not mere Shadows." Hibiya's frown deepened. "That vermin has caught up to Psyche."

Without waiting for any reply, Hibiya gave Alfred a light but clear kick and the horse galloped on even more rapidly until both rider and horse disappeared into the first sign of bright light passing through an opening between the trees and undergrowth.

"W-wait, Hibi..."

"No, we must...catch up to him...!"

"Wait, Nao--"

"Arrrrrghh I've had it! You kids better hold on!"

"H-Heiwajima-san, what--"

"What the craaaaaaap--"

"Shizuo-kun! Don't forget about me--whoaaaaa!"

With a bellow ripping from his vocal chords, the fortissimo of Ikebukuro - picking up two high school students by their waists and carrying an underground doctor on his back - channeled his unnatural strength to his legs and made a humanely impossible leap across the snow. Tree branches and leaves smacked straight in their faces, obscuring their view and breathing capacity until Shizuo's feet landed in the clearing beyond the opening where the light had poured in.

As Naoto, Kanji and Shinra touched the ground again, all four of them spat the leaves and snow out of their mouths and started cleaning up until a frantic neigh caught their attention.

"Psyche!" Hibiya cried out, keeping his grip on Alfred's reins tight as the horse stood on its hind legs and kicked its front.

The raven in the white coat was at quite a distance away, in an area in-between two of the eight visible rivers streaming from a large central lake. He was being held in the air by a black mass wrapped around his throat.

Holding an outstretched hand, as if commanding and holding the shadow in place, was the figure everyone had come to recognise as Orihara Izaya's Shadow. And lying unconscious on the ground next to him, with her face buried in the snow, was...

"R...Rise!"

"Kujikawa-san!"

"...That bastard..."

Kanji was about to rush forward when Naoto, having regained her composure, stopped him. "Wait, Tatsumi-kun, we can't simply charge head-on. Things are too erratic at the moment."

"But, Rise is..."

Psyche's body trembled with violent coughs as he sprung back to consciousness. Heaving deep but quick breaths, he opened one dazed eye, and looked in Hibiya's direction.

"Hi...Hibi-kun..."

"Do not be afraid, Psyche. We have arrived to help." Hibiya turned to the Shadow. "Wretched vermin, unhand Psyche at once!"

The Shadow tossed his head back in a menacing cackle. "Have I any reason to fear you? To listen to your every command? The answer, young Hibiya, is no. So why should I release Psyche at all?"

"...Then so be it."

Hibiya wasted no time in drawing his sword from the scabbard tied to his waist. The hilt was coated with gold and crowned with emeralds of the finest quality, and the blade glistened with a shine that was comparable to the brilliance of the gemstones.

Pointing the tip of the sword to the ground, the prince tugged at Alfred's reins harshly.

"Delic!" the unfamiliar name left his lips. "We fight!"

_"Hot damn, it's about time you called me!"_

"Um, what--"

Shinra was unable to complete his sentence as Hibiya and Alfred took to the air. A glaring blue glow formed beneath them like a platform before they were enveloped by the threads of light spiraling from it.

"Wait, isn't that...?"

Kanji's suspicions, though eventually unvoiced, were confirmed when the forms of Hibiya and Alfred faded away with the light, replaced by two other figures, one of which Naoto and Kanji were vaguely familiar with.

The form that was once Hibiya was now a mature-looking man whose skin looked like marble and had hair that was darker than even Hibiya's own. A crown of a different design - with the appearance of a crown that belonged only to the British royal family - rested on his head, tall and lined with the same emeralds adorned on the hilt of the prince's sword. He was of a smaller and shorter build than Hibiya, and wore a bright red top that accentuated his curves, as well as tight-fitting white pants. He was also sporting a pair of iridescent butterfly wings.

Next to him, the horse that was supposed to have been Alfred was now a humanoid figure as well. He had healthy-looking skin, and a simple hat made of flowers, leaves, branches and vines atop his unkempt and wild sandy blond hair. He wore a plain green robe, torn at its hems, that ended right above his kneecaps, and was of a similar build to the "new Hibiya". Like his companion, he too was sporting a pair of wings, but they lacked the lustre and surrealism that his companion's own possessed.

The transformed pair struck, diving into the Shadow who, supposedly in shock, did not have time to react which made him release Psyche from his restraints. The blond sprite, Puck, was careful in driving and sweeping the Shadow into a river further away from the others before fluttering away in time for the crowned fairy, Oberon, to hold the sword vertically in front of him and summon down a lightning bolt as his wings quivered.

The Shadow let loose an inhumane screech at the point of impact. An electrical field quickly spread, threatening to engulf the entire area if not for the sprite's wind spells keeping it encapsulated around the hooded entity. It was only when the sparks died down that the transformed pair descended.

"That ought to keep the vermin still, even for just a moment," the fairy spoke as he shifted back to his former form of Hibiya. Sheathing his sword, he turned back to the group, and was not surprised to see the blank looks on their faces. "...What?"

"You're... Well..." Shizuo struggled with his words. "What the hell are you?"

Hibiya did not hold back his sigh. "I believe I have explained, did I not? Or did you not comprehend a simple matter as that?"

"Um, I don't think he was referring to that..." Kanji, who was already tending to Rise's wounds together with Naoto, tried to point out.

Before Hibiya could question further, he felt a violating and playful smack on his bottom. His eyes narrowed to slits and literally gleamed like the polished edge of his sword which he swiftly unsheathed.

"Gah! At least give a warning if you want to wave that sharp, pointy thing at me!" a man - whose face was the exact replica of Shizuo's - dressed in a white suit and pants protested. His hands immediately raised to shield his headphones, which were worn horizontally around his head as opposed to Psyche's.

"...Delic," Hibiya muttered that name again, but this time with a pronounced tinge of venom. "What did I tell you--"

"C'mon, Hibime-chan, you know I can't help it. You're just too adorable for me to resist!" Delic laughed nervously, waving both hands in surrender though it was clear he wasn't entirely apologetic.

"Do not force my hand." Hibiya moved the blade nearer to Delic's neck and placed it where he knew the jugular vein could be found.

"R-right, right. I'm sorry, Hibime--"

Hibiya's eyes narrowed further. Delic gulped.

"--Hibiya," he corrected.

With a scoff, Hibiya sheathed his sword. Delic heaved a huge sigh of relief, exaggerating it by placing a hand over his chest.

"I apologise for Alfred's unruly behaviour," the prince said stoically when he turned back to face the group. He gave a small, polite bow as he continued, "He has always had a disregard for his authorities and enjoys executing his whims and fancies as he pleases. Quite an impossible and troublesome horse to tame."

"...Wait," Shizuo raised an index finger and pointed at his lookalike, "are you saying that that guy...is _your horse_?"

"Have I not made that point clear?"

"...More importantly, that horse and you...can turn into, what, butterfly men? ...And stop laughing, Shinra. It isn't funny."

"Hey, you tryin' to insult my beautiful--" Delic was promptly interrupted by Hibiya's backhand slap to the face.

"As I have mentioned on the way here," Hibiya said, "I, along with Delic and Psyche and the rest of our kinsmen, are not the typical lowly Shadows that are found in this dimension, but we are Shadows nonetheless. Tame and sentient for the time being we are, so long as you and Orihara Izaya do not make the foolish attempt of denying our existence."

"Sure, you mentioned that, but... I didn't think that means you can shapeshift or whatever."

"...Ahh, that's right," Naoto said. "All this time, Heiwajima-san has only heard us talking about Personas and Shadows, but he hasn't actually seen a Persona himself until today."

"Still finding it a lil' hard to believe, though," Kanji admitted. "I mean, Shadows - like, the real deal Shadows - being Personas at the same time? Isn't that, I 'unno, weird?"

"It is indeed unorthodox," Hibiya sighed. "And unfortunately, though I loathe to admit, I do not have all the answers myself. ...Well. That is not the crux of the issue here."

Effectively putting an end to the discussion, Hibiya made his way over to Psyche, whom Shinra was currently tending to. The other raven was sitting up and coughing into his palm, and there were red marks around his neck, but otherwise looked to be in a good condition. Shinra sent a pleasant smile in their way before excusing himself to have a look at Rise.

"Are you well, Psyche? Have you the voice to speak?" Hibiya asked.

"I'm fine, Hibi-kun. It's all thanks to you and Deli-kun." Psyche beamed. Then, as quickly as his moods swayed, his face fell. "Um... Hibi-kun, I--"

"It is alright. There is no need for an apology. For what good can mere words accomplish when the damage has been done, and the one responsible is not you?"

Psyche's brows furrowed in confusion.

Hibiya shook his head. "You will understand when we are one again. But for now," he paused to help Psyche up on his feet and glance over his shoulder at the charred figure crumpled in the empty riverbed, "we must unmask that imposter."

"Oh my," a familiar voice interjected, before anyone else could speak. "Hibiya-san and Delic-san have already done the deed? And here I thought Shitsuo-san and I would be the first to teach that awful person a lesson."

Everyone who had been in the area turned to look at the newcomers. Kanji and Naoto smiled as they recognised two of the four people who had just arrived at the scene, whilst Psyche and Hibiya seemed equally unenthused and Delic's brow twitched upon seeing the other two. Shinra stifled another laugh. Shizuo didn't know how to react.

"Chie-senpai! Yukiko-senpai!"

"Thank goodness. You are alright."

Kanji and Naoto had spoken at almost the exact same time.

"Heya! Great to see you guys safe, too!" Chie replied, running over to join her high school juniors.

"I'm glad that the both of you seem fine, but... Rise-chan..." Yukiko looked at Rise worriedly. There was a bruise forming on her left cheek, and traces of fresh blood on the left edge of her lips.

"She should be alright," Shinra reassured. "Kanji-kun and Naoto-chan have already applied some disinfectant, so the wound must be healing already. Though...that Shadow must have hit her pretty hard to knock her out like this."

Chie cracked her knuckles. "I'm gonna give that guy a pounding and nobody's gonna stop me."

"Join the club," Kanji replied tersely.

"...There must be something that Kujikawa-san detected about that Shadow. And he didn't want her telling Psyche-san about it," Naoto said. "Could it be...?" she whispered to herself.

Yukiko bent down to have a closer look at the bruise. "But to hit an idol's face like this... How terrible..."

Chie's gaze softened. "Do you think...that Shadow did it precisely because of that?"

"Isn't the answer obvious?" Sakuraya said, smiling sweetly as he appeared behind Chie.

The brunette jolted and gave a yelp. "What the-- Don't sneak up on other people like that! Geez..."

"Oh. I apologise for startling you." Sakuraya looked anything but apologetic. "But the few of you are having such a lively discussion that I couldn't help myself. ...Oh, please do continue, by all means."

Nobody spoke, however.

It was Hibiya who had to break the silence. "You certainly took your time in coming here, Sakuraya. Did you enjoy the spectacle as you made your way?"

Sakuraya turned to face him. "Why, Hibiya-san, is that an accusation I hear? What makes you think you have the privilege of making such a bold statement? Not everybody has such a... _handy_ mode of transport like you do, you know."

Hibiya appeared unfazed, though the annoyed twitch of his eyebrow didn't go unnoticed.

"Ah, speaking of which, where is your precious Alfred-san now? I thought I saw him earlier, but it seems that he has somehow vanished when I wasn't looking."

"Delic is currently evading capture."

"From Shitsuo-san? That figures. Shitsuo-san always seems to know when somebody has made some sort of mistake somehow. It's disgusting, how astute he can be. Ah but it certainly can't measure to what Delic-san always does to you, can it? Though then again, Hibiya-san likes it, so it really shouldn't matter~"

Hibiya's expression darkened and he reached for his sword. Psyche hurriedly pulled his hand away.

Sakuraya chuckled behind his sleeve. "Anyway, don't you think it's a little unfair to be directing your words only to me? Tsugaru-san, Hachimenroppi-san, and Tsukishima-san have yet to arrive themselves, after all, and yet you are reprimanding me alone?"

Psyche pouted. "Seriously, Saku-chan? You want Hibi-kun to scold Tsuki-chan, of all people?"

"Let me rephrase, then. Hibiya-san," Sakuraya lowered his arm, "did you honestly believe Tsukishima-san would be able to find the river without someone there to guide him? He’s not exactly…stable, you realise.”

"What do you mean by that?" Hibiya questioned.

Sakuraya didn't answer, only his cryptic smile widened. Unlike the encyclopaedic nature of the young prince, the nobleman was at no obligation to lay bare the truths that only he knew about. To call them truths, in fact, would also be a stretch. If anything, Sakuraya was like a cursed collection of myths and theories, his smiles and gestures the chains or spells rendering the book unreadable to anyone he deemed unworthy of his time and effort.

Where Hibiya was the sort to ask "What is it that you wish to know?", Sakuraya would rather say "Why should I tell you?". If there was any way to simplify their differences, that would be it.

Ignoring the tense atmosphere that was quickly settling, Shizuo stepped in. "Look, I don't care what you fleas are arguing about, but this isn't the damn time for that, in case you haven't noticed," he said, jabbing a thumb over to the river where the electrocuted Shadow had previously been lying.

As Shizuo aptly pointed out, the three of them had indeed not realised that their common enemy was skulking towards them. The Ziodyne attack had left him charred beyond recognition, his skin now completely indistinguishable from his coat. The only colour in the mass of black was the bright gold of where his eyes supposedly were. He was literally creating and exuding shadowy smoke all over his body, with every step he took like pouring boiling water on the snow, and every breath he let out like the cloud of dust and ashes from the mouth of a volcano.

"Uhh..." Chie spoke up. "When did Shadows start doing that?"

"They don't," Naoto said. "That isn't Orihara-san's Shadow."

Her human companions, who had been too busy staring at the dark figure, all immediately directed their attention to Naoto instead. The Shadow - or, more appropriately, the alleged Shadow - stopped in its tracks, landing its unblinking golden eyes on the detective.

"Wh-why do you say that, Naoto-kun?" Yukiko asked.

"It is the same as what happened to me," Naoto answered. "One year ago, when the Midnight Channel resurfaced and the Grand Prix took place... Do you recall? That other 'me' clearly had the power to take control of Labrys-san, which should not have been possible for a Shadow born from a human to be capable of.

"And here we have this entity claiming to be Orihara-san's Shadow and taking his form... Yet it has demonstrated nothing but anomalies, completely atypical behaviour of a normal Shadow. Even if we are to consider the possibility that Orihara-san has the power to shape the TV world like Adachi-san did, that still wouldn't be enough of an explanation for what this imposter has done thus far."

Kanji, Yukiko and Chie's eyes widened. "Don't tell me..." Kanji trailed off.

As if to affirm their growing suspicions, the alleged Shadow broke into maniacal laughter. "Very good, Shirogane Naoto! Excellent, in fact!" it said, still bearing Izaya's voice, but it was so distorted and buried by the growing sea of voices by now that it was near impossible to recognise it.

“Damn… Is that why it doesn’t smell anything like the flea?” Shizuo muttered to himself.

An amused chuckle escaped from Sakuraya's lips. "I see. She's sharper than I expected, that Shirogane girl."

"So... Th-that's...not Icchan...?" Psyche was beginning to hyperventilate. "Then... Wh-when I thought...it was Hibi-kun who told me to bring everyone here... Was it this...fake all along...?"

Hibiya laid a hand on Psyche's shoulder. "Psyche..."

"First, pretending to be Hibi-kun...and now Icchan...? Then...all along, I... What..."

"It is no fault of yours that you were deceived, Psyche," Hibiya comforted in an objective, business-like manner. "That vermin simply took advantage of our separation, and used your nature against you, knowing--"

"No!" Psyche exclaimed, pressing his headphones more firmly against his ears. "I don't wanna hear it!"

"Psyche-san..." Yukiko murmured sympathetically.

"I didn't bring everyone here just to get them in danger! I thought... I thought if there's anyone who can stop Icchan and bring Iza-chan back, it has to be Sou-chan and everyone else! Shizuo-kun and Shin-chan weren't supposed to be here... They weren't..."

"Come now, Psyche-kun, I was the one who wanted to tag along, wasn't I?" Shinra pointed out. "Well, yeah, I guess it's because of what you said that I'm here at all, but it wouldn't have changed the fact that I wanted to be here."

Psyche whimpered quietly.

"...I can't even tell if you're helping or not," Shizuo sighed. "Anyway, white flea, listen. What you thought wasn't wrong. This sick bastard," he spat the term but restrained his anger as he spoke to Psyche, "may not be the guy you thought he was, but it doesn't change a thing: he still has to be stopped so that the real flea can be saved, right?"

Psyche raised his head to meet Shizuo's eyes. "Shi...Shizuo-kun..."

"Ha!" the entity mocked. "'Real flea', you say? So you still haven't learnt a thing from our last encounter, huh, Shizu-chan?"

"Shut your trap," Shizuo snarled. The speed at which his demeanour changed took the four Persona-users aback. Shinra could only smile cheerfully. "Who the hell are you? And why did you pretend to be the flea's Shadow? What the hell are you planning?"

"Questions, questions. Have some patience in asking them, Shizu-chan. I can't answer them all at once." The fake Shadow waved a distorted mess that looked to be a finger as if trying to lecture the blond.

"Were my questions hard to understand? Alright then. Who? Why? What are you planning? And also, where's the flea? Now shoot."

"I asked for patience, Shizu-chan, not more questions."

"I'm not repeating myself. Answer. _Now_."

As though aware of its current appearance, the unidentifiable figure bared its teeth as it grinned. "Are you sure you want to know the truth?"

Shizuo was close to outright hissing at the thing. "Dammit what are you playing at?"

"Heiwajima-san, let's hear what it has to say," Naoto advised. She was used to such interrogation patterns. If there was no facial expression nor body language to be read, she could only rely on its words and tone to pick out the truth. The less the interrogator and the more the interrogated said, the better.

"A wise choice," the entity acknowledged, no doubt knowing what Shirogane was trying to do. It humoured her nonetheless. "Let me ask you all again: are you _sure_ you want to know the truth? No matter how horrible it may be, do you still want to face it?"

"...You don't even have to ask."

Those words were spoken by none of the people present. Or, to be more specific, they were spoken by none of the conscious people present.

Smiling weakly but gratefully at her friends and Shinra, Kujikawa Rise got up on her feet. "We've gone through a lot, so we know how frightening and painful the truth is... But as long as we know we're not alone in facing it, there's nothing to be afraid of."

The teeth melted away into the sea of black. "Bonds are but mere trifles. Fleeting and meaningless."

"To _you_ , you mean," Kanji snapped. "So out with it already. Who are you, and why do you keep messing with us?"

"Unfortunately, it is not yet time for me to reveal myself," the entity said smugly. "But I'll humour you for the other questions Shizu-chan asked earlier. Hmm... Right. Why did I choose Orihara Izaya, you asked?" The figure flashed its pearly white teeth once more. "Why don't you ask Naoto-kun about that?"

Chie, Yukiko and Kanji gave Naoto awkward glances, knowing exactly what the strange thing was talking about. Sakuraya hummed in mild amusement. Shinra tilted his head to one side curiously, while Hibiya and Shizuo's frowns only deepened at the words. Psyche was still at a loss of what he should do.

Like what had happened last year, however, Naoto was unfazed by the comment, and simply clenched a fist.

"If you don't feel like explaining, I can do it for you," the entity offered with mock kindness and understanding. "It's the instability," it said, stretching its misshapen arms in an open, welcoming gesture. "Yes, this man - this man who singlehandedly orchestrated the disturbances in Ikebukuro and laughed as he destroyed other people's lives - is even more unstable than you are, Naoto! That's why I've grown fond of him, you see. It's the unstable nature of you humans that draws me to you all. Like an immortal, indestructible moth to the flames burning in your hearts..."

"...Even still, what purpose does taking Orihara-san's form serve you? He has no Persona for you to steal, neither is he present to listen to you advertising his insecurities," Naoto said.

The black mass shook with laughter that could only speak of madness. "You must not understand Orihara at all, if you think he would be unsettled by something like that." It took pause to broaden its crooked smile. "What do you think is more frightening, Naoto? Watching helplessly as some carbon copy declares the original's deepest feelings to the world...or being deprived of even the chance to be present, leaving only the individual's imagination to fill in the gaps and make assumptions that they believe to be true?"

Nobody could give the entity an answer. Even if they could, no answer could possibly be satisfactory for the entity, whose thoughts and views of the world were beyond that of a human's capacity to understand, and beyond that of a human's heart to agree with.

"Alas," it continued, its tone similarly bearing cruelty that was beyond that of even the most malicious of humans, "even the opportunity to do that has been stripped away from him. I can just imagine how terrible he would feel if he were to ever realise the truth behind what happened to him. But...even that opportunity is gone now."

The present members of the Investigation Team and Psyche stared at the entity wide-eyed as the implications of that statement struck them like a cascading waterfall. Hibiya's expression remained indifferent, while Sakuraya now looked rather displeased. Shizuo froze, except for his arm which was trembling as he clenched an exceedingly tight fist.

Shinra, who was the first to recover from the surprise, faced the entity with a smile that looked unnaturally and chillingly hollow. "You're lying," was all he said.

"Sh-Shin-chan's right, you're lying," Psyche echoed the sentiment shakily. "I-I would know, out of everyone here. I can still hear Iza-chan. _You're lying_!"

"It isn't," Sakuraya said distastefully.

"No, no, you must trust me on this. This Shadow... Oh, I'm sorry, since you're not really a Shadow, I guess I can't call you that, huh? Well, this Anonymous-san here is most definitely lying. I can read the mind of the supernatural, if you didn't know," Shinra insisted with the air of confidence that was usually evident when he conversed with Celty.

Anonymous-san chortled. "Lying is not in my nature, Kishitani Shinra."

"...Then say it," Shizuo whispered dangerously. With fists by his side and ignoring the cries of the people around him, the fortissimo of Ikebukuro marched over to the entity until they were so close Shizuo could feel the hints of the aura that once overwhelmed him. "Stop beating around the bush and say it straight. Where is the goddamn flea?"

"Where do you think, Heiwajima-kun?" the entity replied in a husky voice. "I'll make it easier for you. Tell me, when was the last time you saw Izaya?"

"When? That's..." As Shizuo trailed off, his frown creased. "Last week... I think."

Golden eyes glinted knowingly. "And you, Kishitani-kun? Ah, let's not ask about when you last saw Izaya; let's ask about when you first met him. Was it elementary school? Middle school? Or high school?"

"That's simple enough, I--" Shinra caught himself. His smile instantly fell away. "Huh? That's strange. I...don't remember?"

"Hah?" Shizuo turned around and snapped, "What do you mean you don't remember? You're the one who introduced the flea as your friend from middle school, dolthead!"

"…But Shizuo-kun..." Shinra blinked repeatedly and held his head with one hand, as if feeling for a fever. "I can't remember my first meeting with Izaya at all. In fact...I don't even have any recollection of ever introducing him to you."


	30. Borderline of Madness II

**April 27, 2013**

In the late morning, just like it had been for the past week, Ikebukuro found herself in a state of sluggish peace.

With most of the few people that occupied the streets being the housewives slowly making their way to the supermarket and their toddlers happily waddling along, the town was no longer as bustling as it usually is in the early mornings and evenings. Very few cars were in sight, and the shops were relatively quiet despite the early Golden Week sales.

In contrast to the tranquil pace all around the town, there was a motorcycle cruising along the roads at an almost dangerous speed. The motorcycle was completely black, and lacked the licence plate and headlights as required by the law, but the people of Ikebukuro who were present didn't pay much attention to the motorcyclist who was breaking traffic rules and regulations. Some treated the offender with apprehension, and some looked upon the rider with indifference and mild boredom, while others waved excitedly as the motorcycle drove past by.

The Black Bike was on the move.

But even with the appearance of Ikebukuro's most famous urban legend on the streets, the peace was not disrupted. The reactions of the townspeople simply reflected the normality of the sight, so deeply assimilated into their everyday lives that such reactions became reflexes. The anomalous existence of the Headless Rider was, in the eyes of the people, a terrifying myth yet common knowledge at the same time.

As she rode her legendary motorcycle across this city she looked upon as her home, Celty Sturluson tried to bask in the glow of Ikebukuro's tranquility. She had been called to perform her usual job for Shingen's wife Emilia, and was now returning to the apartment she shared with her beloved with an envelope containing her well-earned pay. Celty remembered her euphoria the first time Emilia gave her this much money, and the subsequent times when she continued obliging Emilia's requests.

However, Celty couldn't bring herself to feel any joy this time.

The recent incidents were weighing heavily on her mind as she and Shooter took the short route home. In spite of the disturbances, Ikebukuro was at peace, and that was precisely the source of Celty's uneasiness, along with the fact that Shinra and Shizuo - the two people she held most dearly in her life - were currently in some unknown dimension.

_'...Something isn't right.'_

Celty thought to herself, parking Shooter in the garage.

_'There's something...strange about the town today.'_

She stroked her horse tenderly, eliciting a somewhat pleased neigh which also carried a tint of worry. Shoulders sinking in a sigh, the Dullahan headed for the elevator.

She entered the apartment, feeling slightly hopeful about Shinra's return from the TV world, but only met with disappointment when she saw that the apartment was as empty as when she left it. Setting her helmet on the dinner table slowly, Celty stared at the blank television screen; she could imagine it rippling to life, with an unscathed Shinra crawling his way out and flashing her his sly, cheerful grin right now.

Celty shook her "head". Thinking about it was only going to make her feel more anxious.

_'Well... I guess I should do some household chores while waiting. It might take a load off my mind.'_

Deciding it was probably the best way to spend the time, Celty was about to start with the master bedroom before stopping at the door of the treatment room. She stared at it sympathetically, her fingers curling into a loose fist.

Izaya had been in this room for the past week, constantly walking on the thin line separating life from death - or, at least, that was what Celty and everyone else had been led to believe. But, as Psyche pointed out, there was some degree of truth in the illusion Izaya's Shadow had casted, which meant that Izaya was still tiptoeing on that line; he was simply in another place all along.

The thought unnerved Celty. The idea that she had been looking after someone who was never really there in the first place was creepy enough by itself, but then there was also the fact that whatever medical attention that had been given to Izaya was ultimately of no significance at all.

At this point, Celty was uncertain if she should blame the Shadow or the person who, for some reason, thought it was a brilliant idea to toss Izaya into the TV in the first place.

 _'Maybe the latter,'_ she decided as she opened the door to the room. It was a good starting point, Celty felt. On one hand, it had been in use for the past week - even if the patient was never truly present - so it could use a bit of tidying up. On the other, she wanted to see for herself if it really was just an illusion of Izaya from the beginning.

_'Come to think of it, only Shinra had- OH MY GOD.'_

The shadow trailing from Celty's neck turned into an arrowhead that nearly pierced the ceiling.

_'I-I-Izaya?!'_

If Celty had a head, she would've surely yelled the man's name when she saw the apparent illusion still lying on the bed, as still and pale as he had always been for the past week. Instead, she raised a shaky finger at Izaya's frail figure, internalising her shock and confusion and disbelief that a fleeting hope - it really was just a fleeting thought, a mere silver lining in the clouds that went as soon as it came - had, in fact, turned out real.

The Dullahan rushed to Izaya's bedside. Then, after some initial hesitation, she reached for Izaya's hair and began stroking it. _'Smooth,'_ Celty thought distractedly. Her hand moved downwards to meet Izaya's cheek. _'Cold.'_ She held Izaya's hand in her own. _'Even colder still.'_

But, it didn't dismiss the fact that Izaya was here. Solid, tangible, and very, very much real.

Whether he was alive, however, was a different matter altogether. One that Celty did not feel like exploring and discovering for herself, no matter how necessary it seemed.

As she pressed two fingers against Izaya's wrist while recalling what Shinra had once taught her about taking somebody's pulse, the Dullahan tried to feel for whatever fluttering beat of life that could've still been remaining in Izaya's body, but she found none. Shaking her neck, Celty hurriedly placed a finger below Izaya's nostrils, and silently commanded him to breathe. He didn't.

_'H-he can't... He can't be... No, he just...can't...'_

Letting Izaya's hand hang limply, the harbinger of death stepped away from the lifeless body until her back met the wall.

_'No matter what he did... Izaya most definitely...doesn't...deserve...'_

Celty's thoughts were interrupted her PDA's vibration within her sleeve. As she slowly slid to the floor, her body unable to maintain its balance and her mind blank from confirming Izaya's death, she shakily brought the device out.

_I see. So Orihara Izaya has been in that apartment this entire time. You must've been surprised, Celty Sturluson "Setton"-san._

Celty would've squinted if she could. Instead, she could only catch a glimpse of the text message to the best of her current ability, and eventually registered the fact that some stranger whose number was not in her contact list somehow knew her name and online handle, and had mentioned something about Izaya.

 _Who are you?_ Celty didn't stop herself from replying the first thing that came to her mind. It wasn't exactly the wisest thing to do, she realised as she waited for the stranger's answer.

_Let's just say... I'm an acquaintance of Orihara who's in the same line of business as he. Lately, for the past week or so, nobody has been able to locate or even contact him. And, well...You know how it goes._

The next message came as soon as Celty finished reading the previous one.

_And now here he is: in Kishitani Shinra's apartment, as dead as the nearest non-living thing you can find whilst proof of his existence in this world is being eroded as we speak. This has proven to be an interesting turn of events._

Whoever this person was, Celty didn't think she'd like him very much.

 _Izaya is not dead._ She didn't know what compelled her to write that, and even feel convinced of her own statement, but in response to this heartless stranger who seemed pleased with the passing on of another person, it was the only thing she could think of saying.

_Going into denial, I see. I wonder, does human psychology apply to a non-human creature like you? Can I safely assume that you are lapsing into the five stages of grief that humans normally undergo in the face of their relative or friend's death?_

_I don't know what you're talking about,_ Celty lied. She had heard the term from Shinra before, who wondered about the exact same thing. Celty couldn't give him a definite answer because, thankfully, she hadn't experienced something like that since losing her head and memories, so she couldn't be certain of how she would feel.

Until now.

 _[I'll be sad, of course.]_ She remembered what she told Shinra. _[Who would be happy about death anyway? And if it's the death of somebody I know, then all the more. I don't think I'll be able to handle it.]_

_"Haha, so I'll just have to find a way to live forever, then. So that Celty won't ever have to deal with the pain of losing me."_

Celty remembered changing the subject.

But now, in the face of the death of someone she knew, even though that person wasn't exactly someone she would call a friend or even someone whose character she regarded as good, her heart ached all the same. There was a heavy weight in her chest which all the power in the world could not possibly lift, not even if it was a Dullahan like her.

The device vibrated.

_Well, regardless, I'm glad to be the bringer of good news to you, then. Unfortunately, time is not on our side, so you'll have to forgive me if what I'm about to tell you is going to be too much to swallow all at once. I simply don't have the luxury to wait for your reply._

True to the stranger's words, the next message came in before Celty was even done reading.

_I'll start off by telling you this, Celty Sturluson. You are not entirely wrong in denying Orihara's death._

_'What-?!'_

_Yes, Izaya is still alive. In a way, I must add. You've already met the proof of this last night. Psyche, if I'm not wrong. He's the manifestation of one aspect of Orihara's personality...or should I say, a facet of his potential._

_Anyway, the fact that Psyche exists means Orihara's not completely gone yet, but it also means Orihara isn't going to be able to come back. You've heard of the other facets from Psyche, haven't you? The facets that go by the names Hibiya, Hachimenroppi, and Sakuraya._

_They're Izaya's true Shadow, torn apart into separate pieces after the Shadow's failed attempt to devour Orihara's mind. Unless they're pieced back together and defeated as a unitary whole, you can forget about Izaya ever recovering from that state he's in right now._

_I won't go too far into explaining Orihara's current condition. To cut the long story short, our villain of the month has decided to make his flashy return and thought it would be a great idea to wipe the existence known as Orihara Izaya off the face of the planet. That, coupled with the escalating temporal and spatial instability, has resulted in the mess you see today._

_That's where you come in, Celty Sturluson._

It wasn't for a minute or two before the next message came in, but Celty didn't realise the momentary pause in the flow of the text messages. She was re-reading the previous messages and trying to make sense of them, but as the sender had warned, she couldn't fully understand.

There were too many gaps, too many loopholes to form a coherent picture. Why couldn't Shinra see Izaya? How could Izaya be dead and yet not at the same time? Why would Izaya's Shadow attempt to consume Izaya's mind? In the first place, what did that even entail? And more importantly, why Izaya in particular? What was it about Izaya that spurred this so-called villain into going so far as to erase his existence?

_'...I-is it really an alien invasion after all...?'_

As loathe as she was to admit, the likelihood of that happening was growing stronger and stronger the more Celty thought about it. The whole thing was fitting far too nicely into the picture of a possible alien invasion. Simply name the aliens "Shadows" and everything would fall in place. Celty shuddered at the thought and felt the desperate urge to run and hide in her closet.

When the onslaught of messages resumed, Celty nearly dropped her PDA as kanji, hiragana and katakana flooded the screen.

_H-hey hey, slow down, I can't even read anything you've typed!_

The anonymous sender replied, _Oh so you haven't read through the walls of text yet? Good. You can leave them till later. I'm sure you can get more details from Seta and his friends when they return. For now, just do as I instruct you to._

Celty hesitated. No doubt this stranger knew much more than she did, but should she really trust them? After all, if what they said was true, then didn't that mean Psyche was lying? Wouldn't that mean Shinra and Shizuo weren't as safe in the TV world as she thought?

 _It's fine if you don't trust me,_ the following message said, as though the sender had read her mind. _I'm merely informing you of what you can do, as I should. Whether you choose to follow my instructions is not for me to decide._

_'...'_

_Now, look through carefully._

_Sturluson, if you want things to return to the way they were…_

_Then too bad for you, but you're gonna have to leave the human world._

***

**CHATROOM**

_Setton has logged in_

_Tanaka Tarou  
_ Oh! Setton-san, good afternoon.

 _Setton  
_ A-ah, yes, good afternoon to you too, Tanaka Tarou-san.

 _Setton  
_ It's just you and me today, huh? Everyone must be busy...

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_? But hasn't it always been just the two of us in this chatroom, Setton-san?

 _Setton  
_...Eh?

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Oh and our admin Tsukumoya Shinichi-san too, but Tsukumoya-san rarely pops by...

 _Setton  
_ H-hold on, isn't Kanra-san the admin of the chatroom?

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ "Kanra"...? I'm sorry, but I don't remember seeing that handle before...

 _Setton  
_ You don't remember Kanra-san?!

 _Setton  
_ T-then, do you at least have an impression of the name Izaya?! Orihara Izaya?

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Umm... No, I don't think so.

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Is something the matter, Setton-san? You're asking strange questions today.

 _Setton  
_ Mikado did anything happen at all two years ago?! Like...like the Dollars gathering o-or the Yellow Scarves or the Slasher?!

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ H-huh? Um, nothing special really happened? What are the Yellow Scarves anyway?

 _Tanaka Tarou  
_ Wait! Setton-san how did you know my name?!

_Setton has logged off_

_Tanaka Tarou  
_ Wait, Setton-san...?

***

"...You've got to be kidding," Shizuo said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You've just...got to be kidding..."

"I'm afraid it's true," Sakuraya replied drily.

The Malevolent Entity cracked a satisfied, intensely unsettling smile. It had just delivered the truth that the group had been wanting to hear, and now they were reeling from the consequences.

"You're saying that the world is forgetting Orihara-san ever existed because of what his Shadow did to him? And on top of that, you're saying Orihara-san _wanted_ this? That's just insane," Chie exclaimed, shaking her head.

"Kishitani-san, could it be because it's been so long ago that it slipped your mind?" Rise suggested, trying to remain calm.

"That's impossible, it's Izaya. No matter how much you try, it's near impossible to forget a person like him," Shinra said, features pulling into a frown - a rare expression from the underground doctor with a sunny disposition even in the face of gunshot wounds and vivisections. "But...it's really strange. It's not like I've forgotten him completely. It's just that my memories of him are a little fuzzy."

"'Tis the workings of the Shadow world, Kishitani Shinra," Hibiya explained. "In a realm where time and space become irrelevant, the laws governing your world can no longer be applied here."

Naoto reached to the top of her head, making a gesture that looked as if she was tilting an invisible cap down. When she realised her own error, she quickly rested her hand against her forehead, but remained silent despite looking as though she had something to say.

Psyche was still on his knees, a torn and horrified expression clear for all to see on his face. Then, as small beads of tears dripped from his eyes, he buried his face in his hands. "I don't know what's real anymore..."

"Izaya's still alive, that's what," Shizuo was quick to reply.

"Ohh? That's strange, haven't you always wanted him gone? And yet, even though I've just told you that your wish has come true, you're not even the least bit happy about it?" the black mass questioned arrogantly.

"Say all you want, the flea's not dead till I see him."

The Malevolent Entity shook what could be called its head. "I didn't say he died, Heiwajima-kun. I said he was gone. He never existed in the first place, so what death can there be when he was never even born in the eyes of the world?"

Shizuo was about to yell back when something suddenly clicked in his mind. His frown smoothened, and he blinked slowly as he kept his gaze on the creature before him. There was silence on both sides, save for Psyche's quiet sobbing, the atmosphere thick with suffocating tension as the weight of the truth grappled the present Investigation Team members and Izaya's acquaintance from middle school. Hibiya and Sakuraya merely watched on with similar unreadable expressions.

"...You chose the flea for a reason," was what Shizuo said, breaking the silence.

"That I did. I thought I already told you."

"Not the bullshit about him being unstable. It's the flea, of course we know he's a little screwed up somewhere." The former bartender placed his hands in his pockets. "There's something else you're not telling us."

The creature did not reply, simply allowing the smirk plastered on his face to widen and widen.

Before Shizuo could say any further, a serpentine being came crashing into the snow where the imposter Shadow was standing. Grunting, the blond instinctively held up both arms to shield himself from the snow flurry bursting in all directions from the massive impact. The ground beneath him shuddered, as though having a rude awakening from the sudden disturbance.

When the diamond dust cloud cleared, Shizuo and the others brought their hands down, taking a better look at the source of the tremors. There they saw that same reptilian creature, its long and slender body of navy blue scales lying horizontally across the river banks. Its eyes looked like ruby cabochons of superior polish, while its claws glistened like the best quality ivory. From the nostrils of this majestic dragon expelled its misty breath as its quiet growl rumbled from its throat.

"...Huh? Doesn't this look like a Persona Seta-kun has used before?" Chie wondered aloud.

Yukiko nodded, though she couldn't be completely sure. "Let's see, I think its name was-"

"Tsu-chan!" Psyche called out. He leapt back on his feet, his earlier worries and grief wiped clean from his face. "Tsu-chan, Tsu-chan, it's Tsu-chan!"

"...Tsugaru Kaikyou Fuyugeshiki, huh?" Hibiya muttered. "So he has arrived to amend for his tardiness in getting here."

As if in response to the little commotion over its arrival, Seiryuu raised its head and turned slowly in the group's direction. Its crimson eyes stared at Psyche intently.

Kanji blinked. "Wait, where did that bastard-"

"Ahh so you've finally caught up, I see," the familiar multitude of voices said. The misshapen mess on the snow wriggled into the basic shape of a human body, but kept its outer appearance completely black, hissing as it erupted soot-like smoke. The progress of its transformation was put to a halt when Tsugaru, as Seiryuu, kept a claw against its body. "Well, it matters not. I only came to have some fun, after all."

"What the hell do you-"

"Heiwajima-kun," the Malevolent Entity drawled playfully. "Earlier you said that I chose Orihara Izaya for another reason, right? Do you have any idea what it might be?"

Shizuo didn't reply.

The Shadow chuckled. "Well, allow me to clear up your doubts, then. Yes. I did choose Orihara for a number of reasons. The first is, as I mentioned, his unstable heart. And the second... I wanted to do what Izaya-kun did. I wanted to declare war - but not against Saika. No, I wanted to declare war...against Persona-users like you. Against your blind ideals of truth and hope."

Psyche's body trembled without him feeling any sense of fear. It was like he was detached from his own physical body, and it was trembling for a reason that he could not give himself. Tsugaru, in the form of Seiryuu, let out a gentle cry, setting Psyche's heart at ease almost instantaneously.

The open declaration of war did not sit well with the others, either. They tried not to let their apprehension show, but the atmosphere surrounding them was as tense as a rubber band on the verge of snapping.

"And the third," the entity continued, "is you, Heiwajima Shizuo-kun."

"...What?"

"That's right. I wanted to see if you would produce the same, if not better, results that Labrys did, considering your partially awakened potential. And the only way I could do that, along with satisfying my other purposes, was to make use of Izaya to lure you in."

While Shinra and Shizuo only frowned slightly, the four Persona-users' eyes widened. "You don't mean...?" Yukiko said.

"I wonder." The Malevolent Entity gave a menacing chuckle. "Well, ultimately I just wanted to see the results of one mere boy's death. I must say, I'm impressed at the ruckus the loss of but one life out of countless others in this city is capable of causing. To think, if it wasn't for Yagiri Seiji's death, all of you wouldn't be here right now, and Orihara Izaya would surely still be in existence."

"Bastard...!" Kanji, Chie and Shizuo seethed. Yukiko and Naoto kept silent, but their expressions alone spoke enough of the anger and disgust boiling beneath their skin. Shinra was frowning, and while the same sort of anger wasn't rolling off from him, it was clear that he too did not think well of the anonymous figure who enjoyed sowing destruction more than Izaya himself did.

Being parts of Izaya's personality, Hibiya and Sakuraya were clearly displeased with what the Malevolent Entity had claimed, and their displeasure only grew when the black mass went on to say:

"Ahh, poor Izaya-kun... He's like that helpless princess from one of those games you humans are fond of playing, don't you think? Everytime you believe there's a chance of saving him, that chance slips away the moment you get close to it. What a pity~!"

"I won't forgive you," Psyche spat before anyone else could, surprising everyone with the venomous edge to his voice. His eyes blazed bright neon pink as he glowered at the unknown figure, fists clenched and trembling by his sides. The cord of his headphones flashed dangerously.

The entity chuckled. "Is that you talking, Psyche? Or is it simply someone else's fury that you're acting as nothing but a mere vessel to lend a voice to?"

No matter how true it might be, however, unlike the previous occasions, Psyche did not back down or allow himself to reel back out of uncertainty, fear, and lack of conviction. He stood strong and steady before the imposter, the con artist who dared take Hibi-kun and Icchan's forms to screw with his head in order to trick Sou-chan and everyone else into coming here and exposing themselves to unnecessary, unwarranted danger. The con artist who dared to treat Iza-chan so badly and then turn around and say it loved him; who dared to kill someone just so it could do the same to Iza-chan.

This was an injustice that Psyche was certain came from him. The others had their own reasons for hating the entity, but Psyche's entire being was charged with terrifyingly spontaneous anger at how the entity had used him like some kind of puppet.

The next thing everyone knew, the heart of the forest flashed blue, just as it had when Hibiya and Delic turned into their other forms. But when the blinding light died away, Psyche was still looking like himself, and was just as taken aback as everyone else was, his surprise quickly replacing his anger. Having been silent all this while, Hibiya took one knowing glimpse and sighed.

"I thought better of your capacity to be patient, Sakuraya."

Another flash of light coming from behind caught everyone else's undivided attention. Hovering about two feet away from the mess known as the Malevolent Entity was a tall, slender woman with pale grey skin and long, glossy black hair that flowed past her waist, with some of her hair bundled in two by hair accessories alternating between gold and purple. She had barely any clothing on - only enough to cover a female's most private areas - and her eyes were veiled by a light beige paper fan bearing a purple circle in the middle of a purple ring hanging from the hair bun on the top of her head. Her thighs and feet were each patterned similarly to that of the fans she carried not only on her head but also in her petite hands, which were directed towards the pile of shadows that had done nothing but mock the group ever since it made its appearance known. Seiryuu was nowhere to be seen, having escaped the attack in time to revert back to his original form as Tsugaru and wrap his arms around Psyche gently.

"T-Tsu-chan..."

"Shh," the blue-eyed blond whispered, "I'm here, Psyche-san. I'm here."

Psyche remained still for a moment before allowing his eyes to close as he let out a shaky sigh and nodded.

Ame-no-Uzume kept an indifferent expression even as the Malevolent Entity laughed at the failure of her Hama spell to exert its intended effect, and shifted back to the form of Sakuraya as the raven lowered to the ground.

"Oh shut up," he spat behind his sleeve; nobody knew if he was saying it to Hibiya, or the entity who was still shaking with malicious snickers.

Nevertheless, Hibiya stepped up. His expression was as indifferent as ever, a picture perfect example of a true poker face. "And I thought better of your temper as well. Do consider taking up the necessary training for that."

"What does Izaya-san have you for again?" Sakuraya said with mock sweetness.

Hibiya smiled one of his rare smiles: soft, slight, but the hint of amusement did not go unnoticed. "Whatever it is that you, Psyche, and Hachimenroppi lack, I suppose."

Sakuraya almost snorted and continued to eye Hibiya with disgust before giving the Malevolent Entity a similar treatment. He made no comment about what Hibiya said and was silent, however; a stark contrast from his usual chattiness where he could at least poke some fun out of.

"As for you," the prince said, folding his arms, his smile now gone as he casted the black mass a nonchalant look, "I will have you know, we do not take kindly what you mentioned about Orihara Izaya. However, I believe you are not without your motives when you said that, and so I shall repay your efforts by asking you this: what are your true intentions concerning Psyche?"

The Malevolent Entity's laughter died down, but the smirk was still clear for all to see. Psyche gently motioned for Tsugaru to accompany him as he approached the imposter, along with the others present.

It was only until they had gathered close enough that the entity spoke, its voice going quieter and colder as the seconds passed, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Then, before anyone could react, the misshapen figure faded away, leaving behind yet another message that sent Shizuo's mind reeling:

"And while we're at it, Shizu-chan... Have you told anyone about the present I gave you last night?"

***

Making a disgruntled neigh as he failed to shake the persistent butler off, Alfred stomped his front hooves into the snow and wasted no time in shifting into his human form. Shitsuo, who had been holding onto his mane earlier, was now grabbing a fistful of Delic's unkempt blond hair, and refused to let go despite the latter's evident displeasure and frustration.

"Ow! Don't mess up the hair!"

"Ah. My apologies." As quick as lightning, Shitsuo released his grip on Delic's hair and grabbed the collar of his suit at the same time to Delic's chagrin. "You should not have any complaints about this, then, Delic-sama?"

"...You call me 'Delic-sama', but...you seriously don't treat me with respect, do you," Delic sighed. "And stop holding me by the back of my collar as if there's a missing leash there. I'm not a damn dog, Shitsuo."

Shitsuo blinked slowly; it was impossible to tell if he was genuinely confused by the figurative speech or trying to put up the most innocent-looking facade he could muster. "Well, I can clearly see that, Delic-sama."

"Duh, of course you can." Delic facepalmed and shook his head. "Why do I even bother with you?"

"I believe that is a line that is more appropriate for me," said Shitsuo blandly with a face so straight Delic thought it was no wonder Hibiya and Shitsuo got along so well.

 _'Hmm well, not that I can really blame 'em. Hibime-chan has Psyche-chan, Roppi-chan, and Sakuraya-chan to deal with, after all, and Shitsuo's got someone worse in addition to me on his hands. Gotta give him the BOD for being so annoyingly twitchy.'_ The edges of Delic's lips curled slightly at that as he suppressed a snort.

Shitsuo raised a brow. "May I ask what is amusing you so, Delic-sama?"

"Ah, nothing at all, nothing at all." Delic waved it off casually.

The butler only shot Delic a wary and disapproving look in response.

"No, seriously, don't go having wrong ideas. I'm not up to anything," Delic reassured, but it didn't lighten Shitsuo's suspicions any. So Delic smiled and, deciding that no matter what he did wouldn't change Shitsuo's opinion of him, drove the final nail in the coffin. "Unless you count thinking about how good it feels to have Hibime-chan ride on your back."

This time, Shitsuo did not hesitate in glowering at Delic, his intense gaze burning holes in Delic's high-quality suit. The anger was subdued and well under Shitsuo's control - something Shizuo himself lacked most of the time - but it was by no means any less scary than an outburst from Shizuo.

"You are nearly as impossible as Sakuraya-sama," Shitsuo whispered, his voice as cold and biting as holding dry ice with bare hands.

Now Delic snorted. "Aww, c'mon Shitsuo, just admit that you love the guy already."

"Love," the butler enunciated carefully, as though he was speaking a tongue that was completely unfamiliar to him, "is not one of my concerns, Delic-sama."

"Not even platonically?"

"Love, in any form, does not matter to me," Shitsuo amended.

"...I'm starting to think you're the impossible one. Damn, it's a good thing Sakuraya-chan ain't around to hear that. You'd break his heart, ya know. That is, if he has one." Delic rolled back his shoulders smugly.

Shitsuo evaluated that comment for a good amount of time, enough to get Delic antsy, and then he sighed and released his grip on Delic's suit. Delic dusted his clothes as he awaited Shitsuo's answer.

"It matters not," Shitsuo concluded from his brief introspection. "Emotions on a whole are of little significance to me."

"Ah-" Delic looked surprised for a moment before he considered this and his eyes flickered in recognition. "-Right. I forgot that Tsuki-chan exists."

"How very convenient of you to forget, Delic-sama. Tsukishima-sama would most certainly not take lightly that convenience."

"Shuddup. It's not like I meant to."

Delic folded his arms across his chest and fidgeted, shuffling his feet in the snow. He didn't care that Shitsuo was looking at him funny. He probably wouldn't care if Shitsuo didn't spare him a glance, even. Tsukishima had always been a sour topic of discussion among them - Delic, Shitsuo, and the caretaker of all caretakers Tsugaru - and while Tsukishima was by nature a really nice kid overall, it didn't change the fact that he was quite literally a walking time bomb of emotions that can explode over and over at any time it wanted to, and that was what set the three of them, especially Shitsuo, a little on edge when it came to Tsukishima.

The relationship between the four of them bordered on being complete polar opposites to one another, with the most obvious being Delic - the facet who didn't give a damn about rules and regulations - to Shitsuo - the facet who was obsessed with establishing and maintaining peace and order - as well as Tsukishima - the bundle of insecurities and emotional vulnerabilities - to Tsugaru - the epitome of all things zen and serene. But even between Tsugaru and Shitsuo, and Delic and Tsukishima, their differences were clear for all to see.

Like how in times of a crisis, Shitsuo would be the first of the two to snap under the pressure to keep things under control, while Tsugaru would remain perfectly, supernaturally calm and focus on comforting troubled souls instead of focusing on the chaotic situation itself. For Delic and Tsukishima, making the distinctions was an even simpler task; Delic was spontaneous, preferred having a more positive and lax outlook on life, and loved the thrill of taking leaps of faith, while Tsukishima was emotionally volatile, reserved and jittery to the point of being too fragile for anyone's liking. And when Tsukishima broke, he broke _hard_ , and the task of picking up the pieces would be left to Tsugaru; maintaining the glasswork that was Tsukishima, however, fell to Shitsuo's responsibility.

It was why Shitsuo didn't particularly like Tsukishima, and why Delic was uncomfortable with bringing the kid up in their current conversation. Delic didn't mind Tsukishima, generally, but sometimes Tsuki was just so depressing that being around him too long would dampen Delic's own mood as well. Delic believed it was even worse for Shitsuo, who could only recognise frustration and nothing more; being around an emotional time bomb like Tsuki only compounded on that.

"By the way, Delic-sama."

Delic perked up at the mentioning of his name.

"I realise I have yet to punish you for your misdeeds."

Delic deflated.

"Way to go ruining the mood, sour plum. I was on a roll in my head, y'know."

"Ah, yes. Delighting yourself with inappropriate visual imagery of Hibiya-sama, I believe?"

"Totally off, but hey that's not a bad idea."

Shitsuo shook his head. "Honestly, you and Sakuraya-sama bring me so much trouble."

Delic didn't miss the unspoken "Tsukishima-sama" in there, but grinned all the same. "Meh, it's not like I have some kind of reputation or image to maintain. Besides, what's wrong with being me? No point in holding myself back just to gain somebody's approval if it's gonna make me upset, after all."

Shitsuo made no comment and his indifferent expression didn't change, but somehow Delic got the feeling that Shitsuo was the slightest bit impressed with what he said.

Delic's smile widened. "So, yeah, that's what I think. Being together with those other kids made me realise...or more like, remember that. Oh, especially with that Tatsumi Kanji fella. Guy doesn't show it, but he-urk!"

"Delic?!"

Delic gave a violent jerk and groaned as he clutched both sides of his head, particularly covering his headphones. "...Okay, shit," he wheezed, "that...was beyond normal."

"What happened?" Shitsuo's brows furrowed.

"Ugh... Shizuo, he's..."

"Ah! There you are!"

Shitsuo swiftly turned in the direction of the new voice and instinctively got into a protective stance in front of Delic, reaching into his suit for his hidden knives when an unfamiliar creature came running towards them. It had a body that looked like a disproportionate, overturned eggplant, and a crown of blue fur framing its face. It was wearing something similar to the uniform of a circus performer, and its feet squeaked with every step it took. Its eyes were wide and sparkling with what looked like happiness and hope, just like the smile on its face.

Shitsuo maintained his indifference. "Who are you?" he questioned harshly. Behind him, Delic was still moaning quietly in pain.

"I-I'm Teddie!" the creature stammered, as though it had sensed Shitsuo's hostility. "I was with Tsugaru until we were forced to split up. He told me there are others like him in the forest, though, so I've been wandering around looking for you."

Shitsuo withdrew his hand, but kept a defensive stance regardless. "'Forced to split up'? By whom?"

"It's... It's Tsuki..." Delic answered for Teddie.

Shitsuo whipped around. "What?"

"Yeah, I think I heard Tsugaru say something like that! We were trying to find our way to the heart of the forest, and then we bumped into Sensei and someone who looks like you. We were gonna talk to them, but that Tsukishima guy suddenly got all mad and sent us flying!" The bear gave a shudder as his ears lowered. "Teddie doesn't like flying..."

"Delic-sama, what is going on? What are you sensing?" Shitsuo asked, trying to sound as polite as he could.

"I don't really know myself..." Delic hissed as another migraine swept over him. "But whatever it is, it's pissing Shizuo off. And, uh, well," he paused as a slightly bitter smile found its way to his features, "whatever pissed Tsuki-chan off earlier? Yeah, whatever's pissing Shizuo off now...is making Tsuki-chan tick even further."

Shitsuo's expression remained unchanged for a few seconds. Then it darkened, and he reached for his knives again. He pointedly ignored the yelp of surprise coming from the bear behind him when Teddie saw the glint of the blades.

"You lot," Shitsuo murmured dangerously, all hints of politeness no longer present in his speech and composure, "are truly nothing but a handful."


	31. Borderline of Madness III

**April 27, 2013**

 

"—uo-kun? Shizuo-kun? Hey, can you hear us, Shizuo-kun?"

 

Blinking slowly, as though the motion itself were causing him pain, Shizuo pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes shut. His sight returned only moments after his hearing did, so when he next opened his eyes, he turned in Shinra's direction and gave a stiff nod while still rubbing the area between his eyes.

 

He had zoned out, and he didn't realise it.

 

Shizuo let a sigh rumble in his throat as he tried to recall whatever he could before he had lost the time to the silencing darkness. There was the yellow flea and his fancy horse, turning into butterfly men; the flea's Shadow becoming some kind of messed up... _thing_ that puked smoke all over; the thing smirking and being all high and mighty about what it did; the thing becoming even more of a mashed mess of a thing after some dragon came flying...

 

And then there was a kiss. The blurry image and vague recollection of the fake Shadow's lips locking with his own started to resurface, along with the thing's voice whispering and echoing in his eardrums: _"Have you told them about the present...?"_

 

"Hey, Shizuo-kun, are you still lost to us? Do you need me to look you over?" Shinra asked with concern that sounded so insincere it was pretty much absent.

 

"I'm fine," Shizuo replied without thinking, stuffing both hands in his pockets. It was then that he realised that everyone else had been staring at him, some with what seemed to be worry mixed with curiosity. The others - just the yellow and the pink fleas, really - mostly just stared.

 

Shinra gave a huff of disbelief. "Sure, sure. You're the one who was, figuratively speaking, dead to the world just a while ago. If you still think nothing is wrong, then I'll just have to trust your judgement on this one, won't I?"

 

Shizuo frowned. The doctor was being exceptionally sarcastic and childish right now, even for someone who was a little screwed up in the head somewhere. "What's gotten into you? You make it sound like zoning out's some kind of a big deal."

 

"It is when you just stand there and do nothing but stare into space and chant 'Persona, Persona, come here' like a mantra."

 

"...The hell?" Shizuo muttered. Had he really done that while he was blacked out? Could people who were supposed to be dead to the world even do that, anyway? No wonder everyone was staring at him.

 

"Now do you see where I'm coming from?" Shinra joked with his usual smile, the kind that reflected a certain joy in his heart which Shizuo thought was both annoying and encouraging at the same time. Mostly annoying. "So. Care to tell us about what you were thinking so deeply about, and what did that Anonymous-san mean by telling us about this 'present'?"

 

A growl tugged at Shizuo's vocal chords. He knew Shinra wasn't exactly a psychologist – not even close to being a counselor – neither was he the most eloquent member of his profession, but sometimes – most of the time, more like; Shizuo couldn't be sure – Shinra could be so blunt and straight to the point all with a dopey smile on his face it made him look like an idiot just asking to be punched in the gut. Shizuo felt a little sorry for Celty who had to deal with the idiot doctor so often punching him became a reflex for her.

 

"Nothing you should know about," Shizuo answered. "Hell, even I don't know what all that was about. And I wasn't thinking, I was zoning out and I didn't even realise it till you snapped me out of it."

 

"So basically, nothing came to mind when Anonymous-san said that?"

 

"Only bits and pieces of him pissing me off when I met him last night."

 

"The kiss, you mean?"

 

If this had been Shinra's apartment, Shizuo would have tossed the dining table or something out of the window the moment Shinra mentioned the word "kiss".

 

"How the hell did you--"

 

"Promise you won't threaten to kill him," Shinra responded as he smiled merrily while pointing an innocent thumb towards Psyche, who had paled and was trying to hide behind Tsugaru's long sleeve. The others kept silent as they watched on with unsurprised expressions, though the Tatsumi kid did seem a little flustered for some reason.

 

Shizuo's shoulders sunk as he let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding. Rather than feeling angry and upset, however, the fortissimo of Ikebukuro was...relieved, in a sense. The kind of feeling he usually had when he was confiding in Celty or Kasuka.

 

It was strange, because unlike those times, Shizuo hadn't been actively thinking about whatever was bothering at him at all. This time, he shoved it aside, as far as he could into some inaccessible corner of his mind because there were more important things that demanded his attention. And simply because he didn't want to think about it, like how he hated thinking about the flea. So all in all, he had mostly been ignoring the fact that the kiss ever happened until the Malevolent Entity reminded him of it.

 

The real question was, why would he feel relieved that Psyche had revealed a secret that Shizuo didn't actively regard as one? And more importantly, if it was something Shizuo wasn't actively bothered by, then why would the mere mention of it by that entity trigger a blackout in his mind?

 

 _'There has to be something.'_ That much Shizuo could tell. _'If that thing doesn't mean anything to me, then it all doesn't make sense. It has to mean something...but what?'_

 

"Excuse me," Tsugaru spoke up gently, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but if it's not too much of an issue, I can apologise on Heiwajima-san's behalf first. Time is of the essence, so I'm afraid we can't stay here much longer."

 

"It's Tsukishima-san, right?" Kujikawa said before Shizuo could ask. "Yeah, I'm starting to sense him from here. We have to go, or else..."

 

Even though she didn't finish her sentence, her friends nodded in acknowledgement.

 

"...What's going on? What the heck did I miss?" Shizuo asked Shinra when the entire group started running in a direction led by Tsugaru and Psyche.

 

"Quite a big deal," Shinra replied with a chuckle. "Well, to simplify things, Shizuo-kun, this whole frosty labyrinth here? It didn't come from Izaya alone." He took pause to turn and meet Shizuo's eyes directly. "It came from you, too."

 

"Hah?" Shizuo's frown deepened. It sounded like an accusation, but one that didn't sound like an unfounded one, and that was what made him even more curious than he was irked.

 

"Tsukishima-kun, you see, is your Shadow. Unlike Tsugaru-kun, Delic-kun and Shitsuo-kun, who more or less represent your healthier traits, Tsukishima-kun is the one who fits the stricter definition of a Shadow more aptly." Shinra took a deep breath as he continued running. "And he... Well, I guess I can say, since _you_ want people to understand you, but at the same time you're afraid of people getting closer to you, that internal conflict grew so strong it affected this place through Tsukishima-kun who could physically manifest due to your coming here."

 

"...In other words, he made us all get lost in the first place because he's lost himself?"

 

"It would be great if you're comfortable with admitting that he's you, but yes, that's the gist of it."

 

Except Shizuo had no problem admitting that Tsukishima was him, because for once ever since this fiasco started, something was finally beginning to make sense.

 

Shizuo has had to struggle with contradictions all his life: he hated violence, yet he was born with a body that was built for it; he desired peace, yet he created havoc with his very own hands; he wanted people to love him, yet he was afraid of people loving him. It was like his personality didn't fit with his body and vice versa, like one half of his brain often contested with the other. He wanted things to make sense, but he couldn't even make sense of himself.

 

Shizuo had tried explaining to Celty once, but he couldn't find the right words for it and eventually all that came out was a jumbled mess. Celty reacted like she understood completely, and when he thought about it, maybe she really did, but Shizuo didn't probe and told her to forget about it. After all, it'd be ridiculous to expect someone else to get something Shizuo didn't even understand himself.

 

But since Shadows were supposed to be representations of suppressed thoughts and emotions, then of course a Shadow that reflected the eternal war within himself would exist. He didn't deny it, but it wasn't like he openly admitted to it either, so it made perfect sense for this Tsukishima to manifest. Shizuo was only referring to him as a separate person because Tsukishima had a name of his own. He didn't know how it was like for the Investigation Team kids, but if this Shadow of his wanted to go by another name, then what was the problem with addressing and referring to Tsukishima as another individual?

 

"Ah, whatever," Shizuo said. Shinra raised a brow but didn’t question whatever Shizuo had been thinking about. "So what is it with Tsukishima that we gotta go meet him now?"

 

"You haven't noticed?" a voice that sounded like Izaya's spoke, coming from his right. When Shizuo turned, he saw Sakuraya running effortlessly beside him, almost like he was gliding. The raven was frowning slightly, and hiding the lower half of his face behind his sleeve, but Shizuo could hear him clearly. "Tsukishima-san is close to going berserk."

 

What Shizuo thought had made sense was starting to fall apart again. "What? Why? I thought Shadows only do that when they're not being acknowledged."

 

"If you already know that much, then all the more you should know the cause behind his instability," Sakuraya rebuked.

 

"What the— I haven't even said anything to him! Hell, I haven't even met him!"

 

"But the fact that you are denying something still remains," Sakuraya continued with his accusatory tone. "Tsukishima-san would know best, out of all of us."

 

"We're getting closer!" Kujikawa called out, adding to the tension growing between Shizuo and an aspect of the flea's personality, who suddenly clicked his tongue.

 

Shizuo tried to shake it off, telling to himself inwardly that he was seeing things. Because for a moment, he thought he just saw Sakuraya's eyes flash gold. But the look on the pink flea's face as well as Shinra's convinced him otherwise.

 

"O-oi, you--"

 

"Please do not point out the obvious, Heiwajima-san. I am well aware of it." Sakuraya shifted his sleeve closer to his face as he directed his gaze away. "As I suspected... That person is nearby as well..."

 

"Who, pray tell, are you referring to?" Shinra asked, panting heavily.

 

Sakuraya's eyes – his normal, faint pink eyes – narrowed. "You'll find out soon enough," was all he muttered darkly.

 

***

 

The whole thing had been a huge mistake. One that he wasn't prepared for.

 

From the moment he decided that Tsukishima was a Shadow that was just like Psyche, Souji had become the sole individual responsible for the consequences of his misjudgement. Because he believed that Tsukishima fell under the category of Shadows that Psyche had described, Souji had viewed and treated Tsukishima as such, while blindly acting on his knowledge of past experiences with Shadows at the same time.

 

He didn't think he was wrong then, but now as a toxic, violet aura shrouded the allegedly special Shadow who was glaring at him with cold, golden eyes, Souji realised and understood the gravity of his mistake.

 

"Tsukishima-san..."

 

"I'm afraid that it is of no use, Seta-sama. In Tsukishima-sama's current state, he is blind and deaf to all that is around him."

 

Holding back a strained sigh as his grip on the hilt of his katana tightened, the leader of the Investigation Team looked to his right. There stood a man who was the splitting image of Heiwajima Shizuo and wearing a creaseless butler uniform, his arms crossed as he wielded knives between his fingers. Standing a few arms' length away was another clone, but with neon pink eyes and wearing a white suit over a dark pink blouse and maroon tie instead. He had one eye closed and his brows furrowed with a mild wince as he held his headphones.

 

From behind him, Teddie poked his large head out and looked up at Souji worriedly. "S-Sensei..."

 

"It'll be fine, Teddie. I'll do something about this." The former Shadow nodded, but it was clear that even Souji's words did little to reassure him. Souji couldn't blame him, Tsukishima's aura must be making him particularly uneasy. Teddie had always been more sensitive to the Shadows' presence like Rise was, after all.

 

Looking in the butler’s direction, Souji asked, "How should we proceed, Shitsuo-san?"

 

Shitsuo kept his hazelnut brown eyes on Tsukishima as he answered, "For now, we can only wait until Tsugaru-sama arrives. Until then, if Tsukishima-sama makes any hostile move, we must fend it off. Especially..."

 

"Especially?"

 

Delic responded in place of Shitsuo, who did not seem willing to continue, "Especially when the attack is targeted at us. If we get hit... Well, you do not want that to happen, trust me on that."

 

"I'm sorry, I don't—"

 

"What Delic-sama is trying to say," Shitsuo clarified, "is that Tsukishima-sama is seeking us. You see, Seta-sama, Tsugaru-sama, Delic-sama, Tsukishima-sama as well as myself were originally one. Naturally, we wish to return to that state, in particular Tsukishima-sama who is the core of our existence. However..." He paused, frown deepening. "When that time comes, we will no longer be who you remember us to be."

 

"To cut the long story short, shit happens," Delic said flatly. He was about to say more when Shitsuo sent a look of disapproval in his way, effectively getting him to keep quiet instead.

 

"Th-then, what should we do?" Teddie asked.

 

"There is nothing that can be done to prevent that outcome, Teddie-sama. If I may be honest, we, too, wish for it to happen." As Shitsuo spoke, his eyes carried a tinge of gold as if on cue. "It is our natural state, and it is only by defeating us in that state that Heiwajima-sama's potential may be fully awakened. However, even taking that into consideration, it is not yet the time for Delic-sama and myself to rejoin Tsukishima-sama."

 

Souji hazarded a guess. "Is it because Tsugaru-san isn't present?"

 

"Yes, we—"

 

"Well we're in deep enough shit as we currently are," Delic interrupted. His eyes, too, were beginning to display hints of gold. "That jerkass' presence alone is the cause of time and space going all whack, which is why we're here, but we're not exactly stable, as you can see. The moment we get close to Tsuki, we'll gravitate towards him. But, yeah, Shitsuo and I are trying our damnest to stop ourselves, 'cuz, you seriously don't want that happening right now. It'd be, what, three-folds the instability until Tsugaru can make it? Not such a great idea, if you ask me."

 

Shitsuo gave Delic yet another look of disapproval, but milder than the one before. "Though Delic-sama was rude to have interrupted our conversation, every word he said is genuine."

 

"I see..." Souji murmured, turning back to face Tsukishima with apprehension and more questions that he didn't feel like voicing.

 

If there existed a core, and Tsugaru, Delic and Shitsuo were like the layers surrounding that core, could the same be said of Psyche and his "friends"? In the first place, how much of what Psyche said was truth, and how much of it a lie? What exactly were these Shadows, then, that possess the will to refute their instincts and even rationalise such a decision while at the same time being true to their nature?

 

And for this "that jerkass" that Delic had mentioned, were they the mastermind behind this elaborate scheme? The scheme of twisting the very fabric of time and space just for this scenario to bear fruit? But then, what did they hope to gain from this? Berserk Shadows, Orihara's death...or just plain entertainment?

 

When such thoughts ran through Souji's mind, his katana started shaking in his grasp. Igor had warned him once, more than a week ago the day after he and Yosuke were ambushed by Saika's children. He reminded Souji of the fragility of time and space, of their susceptibility to distortions however great or small, and of how this would change everything Souji thought he had known about. The Velvet Room's new appearance was an example. Souji hadn't understood, then, and while he was starting to now, it was but a mere hazy idea forming in his head.

 

"Sensei!"

 

Souji jolted back to reality when he heard Teddie calling him. There was an abrupt shift in Tsukishima's aura, causing Zio lightning bolts to rain upon this particular area in the snowcapped forest. Right before he could block it when one was about to strike him in his earlier distraction, Souji felt somebody shove him aside and he stumbled to the ground. He heard the familiar crackling of electricity and the pained, surprised cry belonging to the bear whom he regarded as one of his closest friends.

 

"Teddie!"

 

Leaping to his feet and ignoring the snow clinging onto his clothes, Souji dashed forward and caught hold of a slightly charred Teddie before he met the ground. The former Shadow was slightly disorientated, but otherwise still seemed to be in good shape.

 

"Sensei... Are you alright?" asked the bear, who was beginning to sway back and forth.

 

"Yes, and it's all thanks to you, Teddie, but... Promise me you won't do that again. Alright?" Souji paused for the briefest of moments before a small smile, speaking of untold terrors that only Souji knew, tugged at his lips. "But, I suppose that is useless. You and the others have broken enough of those promises."

 

"Ehehe~" Teddie hummed as he flashed his usual goofy grin and scratched the back of his head. Once his nose twitched, however, the smile was wiped clean from his face. "Sensei, the Shadow—!"

 

"...He's close to going berserk," Souji observed as he held out an open palm. The Persona card he mentally summoned was about to lower into his hand, however, when Shitsuo took even swifter action and stood in front of him and Teddie, looking like he was trying to shield them from the impending attack. "Wait, Shitsuo-san?"

 

Before Souji could protest any further, a similar blue glow that the card was emanating had engulfed Shitsuo's body, which was beginning to depart from the ground and hover in the air. When the light faded away, a tall and lean figure dressed in white heavenly robes and wearing a plate of chest armour took Shitsuo's place. Long black hair that was commonplace centuries ago was tied up in two bundles by the sides of his face. His eyes were large but sharp, and his ears were flat and round. His nose was raised with obvious wrinkles running across the bridge, and his rough, dry lips parted to reveal two rows of uneven teeth in a scowl directed at the Shadow before him.

 

Readying his daggers, Sarutahiko-no-Okami stood firm against his opponent. A portion of the shadowy aura swiftly took the shape of a tendril with a tip as sharp as an arrowhead and darted towards him. With a toss of a handful of knives, the assault was deflected, but the clash resulted in a flurry of blue and violet sparks that rained upon the area, Sarutahiko-no-Okami included. The touch of purple against the divine being's skin triggered a reaction that Souji only saw when one of his teammates was afflicted with a Shadow's poison or struck by a ball of flames, and he wasted no time in rushing forward with Norn already hovering above him when Sarutahiko-no-Okami collapsed to the ground with a hiss, his body littered with blocks of disconcerting static.

 

Souji let out a deep breath when the static still remained even when Sarutahiko-no-Okami shifted back to the form of the blond butler. "Hang on, Shitsuo-san, I'll—"

 

"Shit," Souji heard Delic curse beside him. The other blond had managed to escape the earlier shower of sparks quickly, and with the same speed and anxiety he managed to return to Shitsuo's side. "You idiot, what the hell happened to the 'it's not yet time to rejoin Tsukishima-sama' thing? You trying to tell me that you can't help it when I'm the one who's supposed to the first to crack and not you?!"

 

Souji would have said something if not for the fact that Delic's eyes were more gold than pink now, and so he fell silent along with a concerned Teddie.

 

With a quiet, strained groan, Shitsuo looked up at Delic. "One who has known restraint all his life is the one who is most susceptible to the temptation of freedom, Delic-sama," he ended with a small but evidently wry smile. Aside from that, Souji could see no sign of emotion in the butler's facial expression, just like it had mostly been all this while, and it made Souji wonder if it was because it was in Shitsuo's nature to remain as detached from the notion of emotions as possible in conforming to the image of a family caretaker who prided himself on maintaining order.

 

The words Shitsuo had just spoken reflected all of that. He had been holding himself back for the sake of other people, and imposed discipline on them not only because that was the basis of his existence but also because he believed it was the right thing to do – to make sure that he gave what he believed other people needed. In a sense, it was an ironic turnaround, and that realisation dug a deeper hole than Tsukishima had already carved in Souji's heart.

 

"And so that gave you the bright idea of jumping into an attack that Souji can deflect on his own? Dammit, Shitsuo," Delic breathed, not bothering to hide the edge of panic creeping into his voice.

 

To Souji's mild surprise, Shitsuo gave a dry chuckle. "But Delic-sama would have done it as well."

 

Delic was about to retort when his eyes flashed gold and he had to wince and stop to rub them. "No I wouldn't, and you _know_ it."

 

"Are you asking me to trust a young master who can't keep his hands to himself?"

 

"Hey, I resent that. At least I know when to keep 'em. I just don't want to with Hibime-chan," Delic teased with a playful and smug smirk, his previous apprehension no longer reflected on his expression. The golden hue in his eyes flickered, but it didn't fade away entirely.

 

Shitsuo simply kept smiling in a way that was both satisfied and melancholic at the same time, a quality that Souji thought was similar to Heiwajima-san. There were words that were obviously at the tip of Shitsuo's tongue in response to what Delic had said, but those words never left Shitsuo's lips.

 

But, for some reason, Souji had a feeling he knew what those words were.

 

It was the same with the times in Inaba where he had formed close, sincere bonds with the people in the town, and the times when his friends confided in him and sought his advice. He knew what to say, because as he listened to them sharing about whatever was troubling them, he felt like he had stepped into their shoes while maintaining his own perspective at the same time. If he had to describe it, it was like he was in the overlapping region in a Venn diagram; his world mingling or colliding with another in a manner that wasn't too intrusive and wasn't too detached simultaneously.

 

In a similar vein, Souji knew by instinct what Shitsuo's concerns were, and what he had wanted to say to Delic but had no resolve or courage to voice his opinion.

 

"So the one who has known freedom all his life would be the one who understands restraints the best... Is that right?"

 

Teddie blinked, both amazed and confused at the shift in the dialogue that Souji had brought about. Shitsuo's professional smile didn't falter, whilst his eyes softened slightly. Delic, on the other hand, turned swiftly to face Souji wide-eyed.

 

Before anyone could add further, Teddie sniffed deeply twice. "Hmm? This smell..." As he trailed off, he craned his head towards the east, looking into that area of the forest. "I know this smell! It's Tsugaru!"

 

"H-huh? Oh, right, we're supposed to be waiting for him," Delic replied, recovering from the earlier surprise. "Now that you mention it, I'm picking up his and Shizuo's signals, too."

 

"I see... So Heiwajima-sama and Tsugaru-sama are together." Shitsuo sat up, breathing out a sigh in relief.

 

However, that was dispelled the moment Teddie pulled a worried frown. "It's not just them, though... My nose might not be in tip-top shape, but I can definitely smell a lot more other people. And one of them smells like Tsukishima..."

 

"That must be another 'core', someone similar to Tsukishima-san," Souji hurriedly concluded.

 

Teddie's ears perked up as he took another whiff. "And they're all heading this way!"

 

Delic flinched. "Well damn, talk about bad timing. If Hibime-chan, Psyche and Sakuraya are there, they're not gonna last long either. Tsugaru's gonna be dragged into that mess too."

 

Souji placed a fist against his chin. "There is something..."

 

"Oh? What do you propose we do, Seta-sama?" Shitsuo asked, appearing indifferent – or calm, the way Souji saw it – as he turned to face the leader of the Investigation Team.

 

"If everyone is coming in this direction, that must mean that the person they're most worried about right now is Tsukishima-san. The fact that the 'core' of Orihara-san's Shadow is nearby also implies that he's being drawn in by the aura. In other words, we need to stabilise Heiwajima-san's Shadow first, otherwise Orihara-san's Shadow will go out of control, too," Souji speculated without hurrying with his words.

 

"So... What, we go and make a way for Tsugaru to hurry here? Not sure if Tsuki's gonna like it if any of us leaves. But then again I can't tell if he's even aware of us right now," Delic muttered.

 

Shitsuo, however, looked thoughtful. He sighed, a sign that more trouble than he would've liked was about to brew. "I see. So that is your intention."

 

Delic blinked. "Huh?"

 

Teddie tugged Souji's sleeve. "Sensei, are you sure...?"

 

"I can't think of any alternative," Souji admitted with a tinge of regret.

 

"Hold that thought, what's going on? Why are all three of you making it sound like it's a bad idea?" Delic questioned, folding his arms and tilting his head to one side.

 

"I believe you will understand soon enough, Delic-sama," Shitsuo replied vaguely. He continued before Delic could respond, "Shall we wait here then, Seta-sama?"

 

"Right," Souji said, nodding. "Teddie, I'm counting on you."

 

"Aye aye, cap'n! You can rest easy with Teddie and his nose at your service!" the bear declared, making a salute to add to the effect. It was a sharp contrast to his earlier picture of worry and uncertainty, almost like Souji's words and mysterious plan were enough to recharge him and rekindle his motivation.

 

Looking lost, Delic scratched the back of his head. "Whaa? But I thought we're supposed to be—" He stopped, his eyes widening slightly and flashing in realisation. He swiftly turned to face the leader of the Investigation Team. "Wait, don't tell me...!"

 

***

 

"Hmm... That's strange."

 

"...Mm? What is?" a blond high school student asked, opening an eye and directing his gaze towards his companion.

 

Ryuugamine Mikado's own, however, was fixated on the screen of his cell phone. His brows creased and his lips pursed as he tapped the buttons, a quiet _beep_ accompanying every tap.

 

"I hope it's nothing," Mikado answered with a concerned sigh, clamming his phone shut as he leaned back and resumed lying on the rooftop of Raira Academy together with his best friend. With one hand supporting the back of his head and the other on his chest, Mikado stared blankly at the sky, watching the clouds slug by. "Someone just sent me a weird text message."

 

"Like what?" As soon as the words left his lips, Masaomi yawned. Mikado couldn't help but smile a little at that.

 

"Ah, well," the raven paused to clear his throat, "the sender wanted to know if my name is Mikado."

 

Masaomi raised an eyebrow, with both eyes opened but half-lidded. "Guy in your contacts list?"

 

"Uh, yeah—"

 

"Then ignore it. They're just trollin' you. I get shit like that all the time." Waving it off and letting out another yawn, Masaomi turned to his side away from Mikado slightly.

 

"But... I don't think they're joking," Mikado murmured, directing his gaze to his shoes instead.

 

"What else did they say?" Masaomi asked, craning his neck to spare Mikado a sleepy glance.

 

"Something about the Dollars' gathering and some Yellow Scarves and Slasher."

 

Masaomi looked away, then.

 

Mikado maanged to pick this up. "Eh? Masaomi, do you know something about it?"

 

"The Slasher bit, yeah. Everyone in 'Bukuro knows about it. And isn't the Dollars your thing? You should know if there was a gathering much better than I do."

 

"Th-that's true, but technically the Dollars are free to do what they want without my knowledge or permission, so..."

 

"But the way that person mentioned it makes it sound like it was a big-scale event, which you would know about at least," Masaomi pointed out.

 

Mikado considered this. "I don't know... I may have been a founder, but I don't involve myself in the Dollars' affairs." A pause. "Anyway, what about the Yellow Scarves? Do you know anything about them?"

 

Masaomi sat up, rolling his shoulders in a shrug. "Nothing much, just that they're one of the colour gangs. I heard they got involved in this huuuge all-out fight with the Blue Squares a few years ago and completely annihilated them."

 

"A-annihilated?" Mikado bolted upright, gulping.

 

"Whoa, chill there, buddy. I meant that the Yellow Scarves kicked the Blue Squares' asses, is all," Masaomi clarified, patting Mikado on the shoulder. "And, well, the colour gangs have been pretty quiet since then, so you've got nothing to worry about."

 

"I-if you say so," Mikado heaved a sigh of relief. "Haha... I guess I'm really not suited for this kind of thing, huh?"

 

"See, this is why I told you to wash your hands of the Dollars back then..." Masaomi mumbled. "Well? Is there anything else you wanna ask?"

 

"Mm... Ah." Mikado's eyes brightened as the vague memory rose to the surface of his mind. "A name. They asked me if I remember a name. I think it was...Orihara Izaya?"

 

Masaomi hummed thoughtfully as he folded his arms and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he shook his head. "Nah, doesn't ring a bell."

 

A quiet gasp coming from behind them brushed past their ears. When they turned towards it, they saw a dark brown-haired girl about their age standing by the doorway. She was wearing the female student uniform of Raira Academy, which looked one size too small for her, especially her upper torso where one of her hands, curled in a fist, rested. Her large, deep auburn eyes shone behind a round, frameless pair of spectacles as she stared at them.

 

"Holy— Who's that hot chick?" Masaomi exclaimed, jaw dropping and eyes widening.

 

"M-Masaomi, don't be rude," said Mikado before he faced the girl. "I-I'm sorry about that, Sonohara-san. Did...did you need anything?"

 

"O-oh, no, it's nothing..." Anri replied, looking away. "Um... Sorry, Mi—I mean, Ryuugamine-kun, I-I have to get back to class..."

 

"S-sure..." Before Mikado could even mention about seeing her in class later, Anri had already slipped away and disappeared down the stairs. Mikado frowned. "I hope Sonohara-san is alright..."

 

"Mikado," Masaomi said firmly, moving Mikado by the shoulders until they faced each other. "Who am I to you?"

 

"E-ehhh? What are you saying all of a sudden?"

 

"Don't think so hard, and answer me truthfully."

 

"Hm, well, Masaomi is my best friend, of course..."

 

"Alright, you said it yourself." Masaomi's nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. "Since you consider me your bestie, then why didn't you tell me you knew a hottie like that?!"

 

"Wh-whaaaa—"

 

"No, wait, more importantly how come you never introduced her to me? Or me to her? What kind of bestie holds out on the goods on his pal?" Masaomi made a dramatic pause, where he raised both of hands to cover his gaping mouth. "Don't tell me... You planned on having her all for yourself?!"

 

"M-M-Masaomi, mou! What are you saying?" Mikado yelled, his cheeks turning redder by the second.

 

"That! That right there!" Masaomi said, pointing at Mikado's face. "You clearly have the hots for her, dude. Wow, you sure have grown up if you're getting crushes and stuff now. Aw man, Mikado, I don't know if I should be proud or jealous of you."

 

"Sq-square root three! This is definitely square root three material, Masaomi!" Mikado squeaked, all his earlier worries wiped clean from his mind.

 

Masaomi, too, having forgotten, simply laughed and swung an arm across his best friend’s shoulder.


	32. Borderline of Madness IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Spoilers for DRRR novel 13
> 
> A/N: You might be wondering about the spoilers thing because when this story was first published, the 13th novel wasn't even released yet. But as it turns out, that novel actually shed a lot of light on Izaya's character, and I felt that what was revealed there was like an expansion of what I initially wanted his Shadow to represent. So this chapter is mostly about what was mentioned in novel 13 and how I'm linking it to Izaya's Shadow.
> 
> In other words, novel 13 was so amazing I just had to make a special reference to it. There might be more of this in the future chapters, I think.
> 
> I normally don't put in A/N on AO3 because I prefer to see it flowing nicely without my interruptions, but because novel 13 is referenced, I need to clarify that there are spoilers ahead. So...yup.
> 
> I'll also take this chance to thank you all so much for supporting this story! :) I hope you've enjoyed it so far!

**April 27, 2013**

Sitting all by themselves in the classroom next to each other with their elbows propped on their desks and synchronising the swinging movement of their legs, two girls wearing the Raira Academy school uniform stared ahead at the blackboard. The both of them shared the same long, flowing chocolate brown hair that reached their waists, and the same parting of their bangs that framed their identical faces. Their eyes were of the same shade as their hair, but duller and lacked the vigour that most people would associate with their youth.

"...Hey, Kuru-nee?" one of the two said. "I'm bored."

"I'm bored, too," the other agreed just as monotonously.

"How long has it been since the start of the term?"

"A few weeks, I think."

"How many pranks have we played during these few weeks?"

"Too many to count."

"And we haven't gotten in trouble yet?"

"The teachers have long given up on us, Mai-chan."

One of them sighed, which her companion mirrored at exactly the same time.

"Ne, Mai-chan."

"Hmm? What is it, Kuru-nee?"

"Do you...feel like there's something we've forgotten to do?"

Keeping her eyes on the blackboard, the one being asked took a shot. "Copy each other's homework?"

"We did that last night."

"Take out the trash and do the laundry?"

"We agreed that we would only pretend to forget about that."

"Trigger the fire alarm?"

"We did that during our freshmen orientation last year."

"...Then, what?"

Kururi's eyes softened, as did Mairu's, and they both looked down simultaneously, their legs coming to a halt.

"I don't know," was all she said, and she didn't need to ask if her sister shared that same, strange feeling like there was a gaping hole in her heart that no prank could ever fill.

***

"Look out!" The voices of Psyche and Rise shouted at the same time.

Instinctively, everyone else turned towards them until an ominous, inky indigo glow coming from the ground informed them of the peril. A large runic circle written in ancient, intelligible language and complicated, mystic symbols, similar to the kinds that were described or seen only in fantasy worlds and wielded by dark mages or wizards, was growing quickly beneath their feet.

The present members of the Investigation Team reacted faster than anybody else did. Before the same, but smaller, circles could appear, they shoved away anyone they could from the largest circle, eliciting stunned murmurs from those who hadn't been expecting either occurrence.

The elaborate markings on the circle flashed like the headlights of a car before fading away with a gloomy hiss that could be likened to sounds made by an old and cursed chime. In its wake, it left behind thick tendrils of black haze and steam that rose like the spits of a geyser, and a scorched mark on the soil where snow and grass once covered.

"The hell was that?" muttered Shizuo as he, as did the others, got up. 

"A Mamudoon spell," Naoto answered. She calmly straightened her glasses, but her insides were still shivering; her very fingers betrayed her, even if her face didn't.

And that was ridiculous, Naoto thought as she bit the inside of her cheek. She might be immune to the Hama and Mudo varieties of spells, but every time the familiar lights bared their deadly jaws, a shudder would ripple in her gut and lungs, like the first time she handled a pistol and opened fire, and the recoil from the gun left her ten-year-old body trembling. She had gotten used to guns, of course, so why not the Hama and Mudo spells, too, especially since she was unaffected by them? 

"What does it do?" Shinra asked, sounding more thrilled than frightened as he crawled over to where the runic circle was earlier and tried to inspect the charred engravings it had made.

"It kills you on the spot," Chie said, which earned her a raised eyebrow from Shizuo and an instant retraction of his hand from Shinra. "If it's successful," she decided the addition was necessary.

 _'Like a bullet in the right places,'_ Naoto thought, nodding. It was the analogy she had come up with herself, seconds after the first time a Shadow was finally squeezed and crushed by the glaring light of her Hama. The overall effectiveness of the spells was so uncertain, however, that it frustrated Naoto to no end, the same sort of frustration she would feel when she nicked a wanted criminal and they still managed to escape with their lives. Nevertheless, when they did their job properly, a child-like joy and pride would blossom in her chest, accompanied by the thought: _'I did it, I did it!'_

It wouldn't be surprising if their enemies shared the same sense of triumph when the tables were turned.

"Who casted it, though?" asked Yukiko, looking over her shoulder to check for any Shadows that might have been hiding.

It was then that Psyche gulped and motioned for everyone to huddle and step back. Hibiya, Sakuraya, and Tsugaru remained where they were, at various points of the circle, but with grave expressions directed at the rising smog. 

"It's him," Psyche said, oblivious to the beads of sweat by his brows. "He's here."

"Who is?" Kanji asked.

"A Shadow," said Rise, holding her left wrist to her chest, "and it's close to losing it."

The smoke hissed quietly as the outer layers were drawn into the middle of the circle where a dark humanoid figure was standing, whipping up a wind around them. When it cleared, the newcomer took a step forward, revealing themselves to be yet another man bearing the same face as Orihara Izaya, but wearing a red fur-trimmed jacket and possessing eyes that were alternating between bright, ruby red and luminous yet shadowy gold. In his right hand was a fistful of the cloth of an off-white hood, belonging to the brown-haired adolescent who was on the ground and trembling like a leaf.

“Ha…Hanamura?” Chie breathed, her eyes on her shuddering friend instead of the man exuding a shadowy aura.

“So Yosuke-senpai was with this guy all along?” Kanji said, giving Yosuke a glance before directing his attention to the raven-haired man holding his high school senior in place. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Somethin’ tells me he’s done something to Senpai…”

“Who’s this, then?” Shizuo growled as he tossed a glare at the newcomer, nose wrinkling. “Another flea friend of yours?”

“Hachimenroppi,” Hibiya answered tonelessly, folding his arms. “His name, meaning ‘eight masks, six arms’… In other words, ‘he who holds eight masks with only six arms’, or ‘he who possesses eight faces and six arms’, or ‘he who behaves like eight different people and does the work of six arms’. There are many ways of interpreting it. To us, he is the one who holds us together. The core of our existence, if you will. Psyche is particularly fond of shortening it to Roppi, which would only mean half of its intended meaning, but in all honesty, you may call him whatever you desire. It matters not what he is called, neither does it matter what we are called.”

Shizuo’s frown deepened with bewilderment, as though the very idea of referring to them as anything other than their given names perplexed him.

“Perchance I ought to clarify,” Hibiya continued, no doubt having taken note of Shizuo’s reaction. Golden eyes that were gleaming slightly narrowed. “As long as it is by persons other than Orihara Izaya, we are not particular about what we are called. It would do you well to commit that to memory.”

Shizuo mirrored the prince’s actions before mumbling something under his breath and leaving things at that. Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji didn’t appear like it, but they were fully aware of what Hibiya had meant, and of course, so did Naoto. It wasn’t the time to discuss that, however, as Hachimenroppi directed a blazing crimson glare at the crowned raven and let out a breath that sounded like a blend of a snake’s hiss and a snarl that was characteristic of _panthera_ beasts.

“…Oh, it’s _you_ ,” he spat, his voice rough and scratchy like he had choked on himself earlier. “So, you’re caught up in this shit, too. That’s perfect.” Effortlessly, and swiftly, the caricature of Izaya lifted Yosuke off the ground and held him up in the air with the same arm, revealing for all to see the brunet’s clamped-shut eyes and his chest expanding and contracting in tandem with the rapid white puffs escaping his bluish purple lips. “Here. I think you dropped this.”

“A-ah, Hanamura-kun!” Yukiko was the one who exclaimed, when the Shadow hurled Yosuke away without warning. She rushed towards where he laid, with Chie, Kanji, Rise, and Naoto following behind her, and struck his cheek with the back of her palm as forcefully as she could. The brunet froze, before his eyes slowly opened and blinked repeatedly as they regained focus.

Chie waved her hand in front of Yosuke’s face. “Hey! You back with us, Hanamura?” Yosuke groaned, his reply muffled and unintelligible, while waving her off, and the group heaved a sigh in relief before she snapped her attention to Hachimenroppi. “Look here, you jerk—!”

“Chie!” Yukiko held onto Chie’s arm and pulled her back gently before she was about to march up to the man.

“Jerk sounds about right. What the hell did you do to our senpai?” Kanji said, making sure that he flexed his knuckles in front of the Shadow. Next to him, Rise subconsciously curled her fist onto her winter coat as she kept her eyes on Yosuke.

“…It appears to be a Fear-inducing spell,” Naoto observed and answered before Hachimenroppi did. “Am I correct?”

Hachimenroppi shot daggers at her, wrinkles surfacing at the corners of his eyes as his nose scrunched up and he sneered. “You humans always act like you know everything when there’s really nothing but air occupying your cranium.”

Taking that as a “yes”, Naoto nodded, unfazed by the derogatory comment. “Then, am I also correct to assume that the one responsible for the Mamudoon spell earlier is you as well?”

The raven sent the detective a scornful glower that could burn holes through her head. Again, he dodged the question – or, most likely, he thought that the answer was so obvious it didn’t need to be said – and grumbled instead.

Naoto straightened her coat and took two calculated steps forward. The effect her action caused was immediate; the corners of the scarlet-eyed raven’s lips swung down as he gave an airy growl and his fingers curled into tight fists.

“What the hell are you—”

“Forgive me for going straight to the point, Hachimenroppi-san,” Naoto interrupted coolly. “You came here, not to harm us…but to ask us of something. Am I correct?”

Hachimenroppi rolled his eyes. “Whatever gave you that idea? I almost killed you all,” he answered dispassionately.

“It would do you good to listen to Lady Shirogane Naoto, Hachimenroppi,” Hibiya cautioned, his expression remaining as it was since the activation of the Mamudoon spell. Hachimenroppi scowled, but said nothing.

“I don’t believe you would kill us,” Naoto elaborated with a small burst of confidence, which garnered even more attention from her friends as well as their companions and Orihara-san’s Shadow. “You might despise humans…but you won’t put them in any danger they can’t escape from.”

“…And who was the idiot that died and let you take over them as a faux expert on me?” Hachimenroppi muttered menacingly.

“Earlier, you casted a Mamudoon spell on us. Spells of that nature are intended as one-hit kills, but at the same time, their basis of operation depends on nothing else but luck. Precision can certainly be improved if you possess the particular skill required, but even then its success cannot be guaranteed. In other words, you wanted to get our attention with a seemingly lethal threat that had a chance of leaving us completely unharmed.” Naoto paused to gauge Hachimenroppi’s reaction, and only noticed his eyes narrowing to slits. “Furthermore, you brought my friend along with you. I believe you did think of using him as a bargaining chip to ensure that we agreed to anything you wanted to request of us, but in the end, you returned him to us without question.”

“You’re noisy,” said Hachimenroppi, carelessly tossing a whip of his head towards Hibiya, “and you’re starting to sound like Worthless Encyclopaedia-san over here. I don’t need you telling me draggy long stories. Either you get to the damn point or get lost.”

Naoto blinked and fell silent.

_“_ _Noisy._ _”_

_“_ _Worthless._ _”_

_“_ _I don_ _’_ _t need you._ _”_

_“_ _Get lost._ _”_

_“—_ _That_ _’_ _s what everyone_ _’_ _s saying about you, aren_ _’_ _t they?_ _…_ _Don_ _’_ _t pretend you_ _’_ _re unaware of the things they say behind your back._ _”_

_“—_ _So how has life been for you? Do your superiors still look down on you? Even more so now that everyone knows who you really are?_ _”_

_“—_ _heard about that kid who just joined us? That fellow named Shirogane? Kept harping on the same case over and over and wouldn_ _’_ _t leave out a single bloody detail, that annoying brat._ _”_

_“_ _Look at her, acting all self-important and proud just because she thinks she_ _’_ _s got a good record. Everyone knows she_ _’_ _s just riding on the coattails of her family name. I wouldn_ _’_ _t be surprised if that number was made up to make her look good._ _”_

_“_ _Either that or she bull-rammed her way up the count. I heard she used herself as bait to lure out the suspect in that Inaba case and almost wound up as a victim, and she_ _’_ _s done stuff like that before. Man, talk about reckless_ _–_ _that_ _’_ _s just extreme._ _”_

_“_ _Yeah, we don_ _’_ _t need a person like that on the force._ _”_

The detective slid a gloved hand into her coat pocket and rubbed her fingers against each other gingerly. Her fingers for her other hand made a subtle tap against her thigh, and she lowered her gaze, but made sure to keep an indifferent expression and appear deep in thought that was unrelated to the voices and images surfacing in her mind. She let her eyelids shut, and waited for the distractions to die out, before she opened her eyes again, which regarded the red-hooded Shadow with a shine of greater clarity and understanding than before.

_‘…_ _Ah, I see. That_ _’_ _s how he does it._ _’_

“Naoto-kun…?” Naoto could hear Rise call her name from behind her, but the fifth in the Shirogane line of detectives didn’t want to consider the possibility that her friend might’ve had picked up on the experience her mind had gone through earlier.

“Then, allow me to say this, Hachimenroppi-san,” Naoto spoke. “The fact that you are only capable of casting unreliable spells and magic that inflicts status conditions…as well as the fact that you’ve only been using gestures and words to threaten but not carrying your threats out, despite your clear contempt for human beings…all point to one conclusion. That you don’t have the intention to harm us.”

The silence that descended was thick enough to hear Hachimenroppi’s seething breath. “I don’t have it, you say?” His fingers dug into the skin of his palms, drawing blood. One corner of his lips twitched. “Heh. As if. If it’s really as you claim it is, then I wouldn’t have anything potentially life-threatening under my disposal. But as you’ve all witnessed earlier, I can wipe you out in one strike if I’m fortunate enough, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Shinra blinked once. Then twice. And his chocolate brown eyes twinkled while he gave an unhesitant “Ah!”, as if a gear had clicked in his mind. When Shizuo, who was unsure of what to say in the current situation, asked him, Shinra replied, speaking at lightning-fast speed, “I remember now, about Izaya. I’m not sure what happened, but it’s all starting to come back to me. It might be because of what Naoto-chan and Hachimenroppi-kun said, but… But, when I listen to them, I think… They’re both talking about Izaya, aren’t they?”

“…About Izaya?” Shizuo muttered. “What part of it?" 

Before Shinra could answer, Hachimenroppi snapped, his eyes glowing an unearthly shade of gold and the shadowy aura surrounding his body boiling, “Shuddup! There’ll be no talking or breathing a lick of that bastard’s name while I’m around! Not even a damn word, you hear me?”

Sakuraya gave a long, tired sigh, looking bored out of his mind. “Oh, do give it a rest already, will you? You’ve always been one for dramatics, and I know I shouldn’t blame you. But _really_.”

Tsugaru raised both hands, directing one in each direction with a serene look on his face. “Now, now, let’s not fight. I’m sure we can all arrive at a compromise that we can agree on. So, Hachimenroppi-san, please do calm—”

“I assure you, Fuyugeshiki, I _am_ calm,” Hachimenroppi stuttered with a warning edge to his voice, eyes blazing.

“Sure you are,” quipped Yosuke, already up on his feet and knocking his forehead against his fist repeatedly as though trying to shake his disorientation away. “You were totally calm the moment I let slip Orihara-san’s name when I was talking to you about what was going on that you pinned me to the ground – for the third freakin’ time – and stuck a Fear spell on me. Totally.”

The red-hooded raven clicked his tongue, and in the next moment when his face contorted, he resembled a certain someone so much it made her friends flinch while it sent a shiver down Naoto’s spine. “What a pain in the ass,” he hissed lowly, shooting them a glare so cold that it looked like it could burn. “You’re like an insect that just won’t learn, even after threatening to slam a rock on you.”

Shizuo came close to snorting. “Who’s the real insect around here?” he murmured under his breath.

Hachimenroppi darted around to face the blond directly. “I thought I just said that there’ll be no breathing a word of that bastard’s name around here!” he yelled, his voice dripping with acid.

Shizuo, however, rolled his shoulders, though he did raise a brow at the outburst. “Never said that I meant him.”

“Look, Hachimenroppi-kun,” Shinra started, slowly, when the raven began to pant, “I know how you might be feeling, but honestly speaking, we’re getting nowhere with this. Is there something you want us to do, as Naoto-chan was saying? If it’s not much of a hurry, can you let us off first? There’s something we need to get done too, and I promise we’ll return to settle whatever it is you want us to do after that.”

Shizuo watched on in disbelief and was about to say something when the clear, serious look on Shinra’s face stunned him into silence. The others, too, kept quiet and mirrored Shizuo’s actions, deciding to put some faith in the man who was known as Orihara Izaya’s closest friend.

The glow in Hachimenroppi’s eyes dimmed as the shadowy tendrils closed in on him. “Hah,” he exhaled, with careful deliberation. “Y’know, I was just about to tell you assholes to get lost, but you reminded me of what I came here for. You really ‘promise’ you’ll help me out with that?”

“Yes,” Shinra agreed readily, right at the same time Hibiya was about to shake his head.

“Liar.” Hachimenroppi smiled a smile that could only be described as sweet. A smile that Sakuraya’s own far paled in comparison. “Since when did Shinra ever offer to do anything even remotely nice for me?”

“Wha—hey, that’s mean,” Shinra huffed. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the one who’s been treating your injuries all these years. I think that’s plenty nice already.”

“As if,” Hachimenroppi scoffed darkly, eyes narrowing even further. “If you were, you’d stop referring to me as that lowlife of a shithole I want nothing to do with.”

“Ah, I apologise,” the underground doctor said without any detectable sincerity in his words while everyone else – including Shizuo – winced at Hachimenroppi’s declaration.

“Not forgiven,” the raven replied scornfully, “since it’s obvious you don’t mean it.”

Shinra let out a lighthearted chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, appearing sheepish. “Yeah, well, I’m not quite sure how to best interact with you, you see. I’ve always wondered if my hunch was right, but I never thought I’d actually see you in person.”

Everyone’s eyes widened, then. Even Hachimenroppi seemed taken aback before a scowl replaced his shocked features, tendrils trembling violently.

“Hold up,” Shizuo interrupted, grabbing Shinra by the shoulder. “What the hell do you mean by that, Shinra? You mean you knew the flea was hiding this? I thought your memories of the flea get messed up.”

“…I _said_ ,” Hachimenroppi started chanting as a whisper, “I’m not…”

“Ummm, how should I say this?” Shinra hummed thoughtfully, looking pleased with ignoring the man he had just been speaking with. “I think Naoto-chan already got the idea, but my guess is Hachimenroppi-kun had such an effect on Yosuke-kun – and nearly on Naoto-chan too – earlier isn’t because he actually casted a spell, in the literal sense.”

“It’s his words,” Naoto decided to continue explaining when Shinra nodded in her direction. “He may not be aware of it himself, but Hachimenroppi-san is able to trigger unpleasant memories in a person and turn them into a temporary reality for that individual through the words he says. It’s most likely luck on his own part for that to happen, however.”

“…So. When you stepped up to talk to him, what you were actually trying to do was test your hypothesis out?” Rise asked, raising her voice slightly. Naoto sighed inwardly, knowing what was about to come next.

“Are you an idiot?” The magic words left Kanji’s lips, who was looking rather disappointed.

“Wow, Naoto-kun, I think I’ve lost count of the number of times you’ve done something that even Kanji considers stupid,” Yosuke jested.

“Ye—wait whaddya mean ‘even Kanji’?”

“Gah, wait, forgive me? I was just kidding?”

“Guys,” Chie sighed. “Not the time.” The two boys cleared their throats and resolved to settle their growing list of arguments another distant time.

Yukiko looked pensive. “…But if unpleasant memories are being triggered, then, um, I think I can understand a little about what might’ve happened to Hanamura-kun, but Kishitani-sensei…?”

“It’s not what you’re thinking, Yukiko-chan.” Shinra beamed reassuringly. It was plain in Naoto’s eyes, however, that there was no genuine joy in the doctor’s smile. “I’m not hiding anything. I tell Izaya what a horrible person he is all the time, and I mean what I say. Just ask Shizuo-kun here, I pour out my grievances onto him whenever he pops by.”

“And yet, you’re still hanging out with the flea,” Shizuo retorted.

“What can I say? He’s a bad acquaintance who stuck,” Shinra insisted, waving the comment off like it had been a mere joke. Then, for just a split second, his smile faltered slightly, the shift being so subtle that if it hadn’t been for the years of experience as a detective, Naoto was sure she wouldn’t have been able to detect it. “But, well, in spite of all my big talk with Celty about how I’ll make sure we’ll escape Izaya’s grasp together, I guess you could say I’m fine with having this bad acquaintance. Sure, I still wish he’d disappear from our lives – I didn’t care that he got stabbed or anything, just so you know – but I don’t think of him _that_ badly. Glancing through the memories Hachimenroppi-kun’s words brought to surface in my head is making me nostalgic, even. …Ah, I must be rambling. Sorry, so back to Hachimenroppi-kun.”

When Shinra took pause to readjust his spectacles and straighten his lab coat, the others who had been listening intently to the startlingly honest confession snapped back to the current situation and what they were having this discussion for in the first place. He rubbed a finger under his flushed nose and sniffed, and all of a sudden he and Shizuo looked surprisingly thin compared to everyone else who was wrapped up in their coats.

“Essentially, it’s as Naoto-chan explained,” Shinra affirmed. “About Hachimenroppi-kun himself, as a part of Izaya, however… I have a theory, and while it’s not all that farfetched considering the nature of the TV world, I’m worried Shizuo-kun might have a hard time believing it.”

“Just shoot already,” said Shizuo.

“Promise not to laugh,” Shinra requested before chuckling himself. He stole a glimpse at the red-hooded Shadow who was still standing and mumbling to himself, and a playful smile tugged at his lips, as though he was unable to contain the excitement bubbling within him. “But… I think…that person might just be Orihara-kun’s true nature that he’s been trying so hard to run away from.”

Hachimenroppi stiffened, and the repetitive strings of words stopped flowing from his mouth. Noticing the change in the Shadow’s demeanour, Naoto knew that they were finally on the right track to getting straight to the heart of the matter – of how the fragmentation of Orihara-san’s Shadow could have occurred, of how this place hidden behind the fortress came about, and of how they could help him recover from his peculiar condition – and drew in a sharp breath which she held until Rise politely asked for Kishitani-sensei to continue.

“You won’t be able to tell, seeing how that guy carries himself all the time. Even I can’t be hundred percent sure about this.” As he said this, Shinra closed his eyes, appearing deep in thought which most people might mistake for fond reminiscence. “Izaya always claims to love humans, but have you ever stopped to wonder how he’s capable of a capacity as great as that? To love something means giving and investing a piece of your heart into it; how much of your heart you’re willing to give up is a measure of how much you love that particular something, even knowing fully well its faults. You can’t say you love someone and then turn around and talk about how you can’t stand all their shortcomings in the same breath. It takes a lot on your part to learn how to accept those. But regardless, when you’ve decided you love something or someone, that’s as good as declaring you’ve invested a part of your heart into them. And if you’re in love with an entire species of living beings, as Izaya claims to be, that must mean you’d have to have big enough of a heart to devote your attention to all of them and to accept them all into your embrace.

“The problem is, can there really be someone with as generous a heart as that?” Shinra paused here to sniff again, and continued to speak without a stutter, “I’m not saying that it is impossible for someone like that to exist. But, I’m certain that Izaya is not that kind of person. If you know him personally, you would know what I mean.” Naoto was inclined to agree, but held herself back from nodding. “Izaya isn’t the sort to give. Not that he’s selfish – everyone is, to some extent anyway – rather, I would say…he’s self-protective.”

“How’s that any different?” Shizuo asked, caught in-between feeling doubtful of and trusting in the implied meaning behind Shinra’s words. To him, Orihara Izaya was an eyesore, the kind that was literally a pain to see and figuratively a thorn in his eyes that couldn’t be removed no matter what he did. It would be a bit much to expect Shizuo to believe in the picture that he deserved pity more than contempt that Shinra was trying to paint. At least, not without proper justification.

“He’s not prepared to take that step not just because he wants to keep his heart all to himself. It’s more than that.” Despite the evident enthusiasm lacing his voice, Shinra tried to keep it steady enough to sound coherent, his smile widening slightly. “It’s because he wants to protect his fragile heart, at all costs.”

“Shut up,” spat the man whom Shinra had claimed to be Izaya’s true nature.

On the other hand, the statement that Shinra had made earned him a few raised eyebrows, with the quickest coming from Shizuo. “The flea’s heart is fragile? But, that’s…”

“Ahaha I don’t blame you, Shizuo-kun. Izaya is mostly at fault for giving you that kind of impression,” Shinra said unhurriedly, paying no heed to the looks of apprehension on the present Investigation Team members’ faces. “But yes, he does. And yes, it’s fragile. Just imagine filling a container made of the most brittle glass possible with water, and it shatters the moment you fill it – that’s Izaya’s heart. Do you see where I’m going with this? If Izaya allows his heart to be filled with emotions, in particular human love and betrayal, it’ll shatter. And what do you normally do with something that’s fragile? Especially with something as delicate as that?

“You put it away, of course,” Shinra continued without a beat, oblivious to the intensifying aura surrounding Izaya’s Shadow. “Keep it in a box labelled with the word ‘Fragile’ in big, red print. Place it in a corner that nobody knows, that nothing can ever reach. Basically, isolate it from everything and anything. That’s how Izaya does it. That’s how he’s able to say that he loves humans without having his heart break. He doesn’t accept or deny love – he _runs away_ from it.”

 _‘_ _Running away_ _…’_ Hearing those words being used to describe Orihara made Naoto remember the night she finally managed to corner Nakura before the revelation of his true identity bought him enough time to escape. The detective folded her arms loosely. _‘_ _I see. So that_ _’_ _s how it is. Orihara-san_ _…_ _is a man whose words are like bullets coated with poison targeted at other people_ _’_ _s weak points and yet turns out to be someone who is adverse to the idea of facing his own. In a sense, that_ _…_ _that makes him_ _…’_

“That’s…complicated,” Yukiko commented while everyone else – in particular Shizuo – remained silent.

Shinra gave a quick shrug of his shoulders. “Well, what can I say? Izaya’s complicated. As is any other human being.” He paused to fold his arms, and sighed. It wasn’t a sigh of relief or impatience; just a sigh with a hint of contentment. He then looked in Hachimenroppi’s direction, the stifling aura boiling off the Shadow’s demeanour not fazing him any as he continued smiling. “To cut the long story short, I think Hachimenroppi-kun here is that very heart.”

“ _Shut up!_ ” Hachimenroppi screeched. If there had been anyone who wanted to say something, his exclamation would have been enough to convince them to keep it to themselves. His shoulders gave a violent shudder as a laugh so jagged departed his lips it sounded like a blade cutting through the air. “I’m no ‘heart’ of that bastard or whatever bullshit you’re spouting. I’m _me_. That’s it, plain and simple. So stop lumping me together with that shitty coward as if we’re one and the same!” he exclaimed, his voice gradually taking on the quality of an echo and a multitude of different pitches at the same time.

As if instinctively responding to the outburst, Psyche, Hibiya and Sakuraya collapsed on their knees, eliciting an instant but unnaturally composed exclamation from Tsugaru who briskly walked towards Psyche and supported his upper torso with both arms before the other’s form crumpled onto the ground. In contrast, the men who resembled and were the closest to what could be termed “regality” held themselves up, determination clearly painted on the prince’s face, and disdain on the daimyo’s.

“Mmmmm, I see, I see,” Shinra mumbled. “So this is what he meant by ‘core of their existence’." 

Shizuo clicked his tongue. “If I haven’t said this before, I’ll tell you now: you need to get your damn priorities straight.” 

 _‘…_ _A Shadow that denies its own origins_ _…_ _?_ _’_ thought Naoto as she, along with her present teammates, took a careful and small step forward. The detective reached into her right coat pocket and slowly curled her fingers around the handle of her Algernon, but made no move to pull it out. _‘_ _No, that_ _’_ _s not it. Think, Shirogane, and don_ _’_ _t forget this important fact. Shadows are exaggerated projections and manifestations of one_ _’_ _s darkest thoughts, coupled with society_ _’_ _s different perceptions of that individual. They_ _’_ _re not wholly accurate depictions of the main personal issue the individual is denying. For Orihara-san_ _…_ _If what Kishitani-sensei said is true, then_ _…_ _Those feelings of complete avoidance_ _–_ _not even denial, nor rejection_ _–_ _towards his own heart must reflect in his Shadow as well._ _’_

“He hates humans,” a voice said in a mutter interrupted Naoto’s train of thought. When Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise and Naoto all turned towards the source, Yosuke continued, as quietly and cautiously as before, “He also hates himself, because he regards himself as human. He said so, when we were talking. Well, not…really _talking_ talking, but you get the drift.” Yosuke winced slightly. “He also got really, really pissed off when I accidentally mentioned the words ‘run away’. I mean, I don’t know where I’m going with this, but now that I think about it, it’s no wonder he got all worked up about that.”

Rise casted her eyes downward. “I can feel it too, and it’s strong, even without Kanzeon helping me. There’s hate, and fear, and the constant desire to run away… It’s unlike anything I’ve ever sensed. Maybe it’s because Orihara-san never really denied his problems, and just took the easy way out by completely avoiding them instead.” She shook her head. “Now I understand why that fortress and the Shadow we met there shut us in and out at the same time. We were pulled to the point we were allowed to be at before the Shadow tried to force us out with his game. That’s as far as it goes when it comes to how close to his heart Orihara-san allows us to be.”

“And when we fought our way through, thinkin’ we were close to saving him…all of this happened instead.” Kanji smacked his forehead, nearly dropping the Aegis Shield he was holding in his other hand. “Shit… That kind of unconscious or subconscious or whatever-you-call-it kind of self-protection is just messed up, man.”

“You do realise I can hear everything you scum are blubbering,” Hachimenroppi spoke with a sharp edge to his voice. Then, before he took a deep breath, he let his eyelids slide shut. As he gradually exhaled, his eyes opened, revealing a golden undercurrent of thick fog clouding them. “…I suppose there’s no point in dragging this any further. You humans are right. I’m…the weak and fragile heart of the spineless bastard you know as Orihara Izaya.”

“Ro…Rocchan…” Psyche gasped out, trembling even in Tsugaru’s firm and steady embrace.

“Hmm? What’s with the sudden change?” Shinra asked, genuinely curious. Standing beside him, with his hands still in his pockets, Shizuo was unusually silent and had an unreadable expression on his face.

Hachimenroppi sighed, sounding lazy and fatigued. “No matter how many times I say it, I’m sure you humans won’t listen, so why should I bother wasting any more time on lowlifes like you? Besides, we’ve diverted way too far from what we were initially discussing. I want to get back to that. Quiet, you,” he added as he carelessly landed a kick on Hibiya’s side when the prince tried to cut in.

Naoto released her hold on her gun, and she started to trace the shape of the handle instead. “…Alright,” she said, knowing that this was a perfect chance to negotiate and buy the time they needed to get to the place where Heiwajima-san’s own Shadow was waiting to go berserk. “May we know what is your request? We would like to hear it, at the very least.”

At this, Hachimenroppi smiled, the same smile he gave Shinra when he called the other a liar. “I want out,” he said, barely above a whisper as he tilted his head back and regarded everyone with an impassive glare. “I want out, humans. Out of this shithole Orihara Yumcha’s kept me locked up in.”

“…Uhh, hate to break it to you, but that’s kinda impossible…?” Chie trailed off, eyeing the Shadow warily.

Hachimenroppi dropped the smile in an instant. He didn’t need to speak for the others to understand the question at the tip of his tongue. When Chie gave her explanation, however, he scoffed.

“Are you dense? …Wait, don’t answer that, it was a rhetorical question. _Of course_ you are. You’re a human.”

“What the heck? That was totally uncalled for,” Chie snapped, affronted.

Hachimenroppi paid no heed to it. “If what you say still applies now,” he said, before jabbing a thumb in Psyche’s direction, “then how did this guy even manage to get to you in the first place?”

“W-well, he has a Persona…?”

“Did he tell you that personally?”

“He did,” Shinra answered with a firm nod. “I even saw him using it.”

“You’re denser than I thought,” Hachimenroppi and Sakuraya responded simultaneously. Stunned, everyone looked in the daimyo’s direction, who was tossing Hachimenroppi a disgusted gaze. Although they could see that he was still himself, it was clear that Sakuraya didn’t have long to sustain his temporary individuality.

“As you said yourself, Kishitani,” Sakuraya decided to elaborate, taking quick and short breaths every few seconds, “you saw him ‘using’ it. But how did you even know he was actually ‘using’ one if you have never witnessed someone using it before?”

“Well, I just put two and two together,” Shinra enunciated carefully, shrugging. “My precious Celty said she saw a flash of blue light when she was looking for Souji-kun and Yosuke-kun, who said their Personas manifested at that time. And on another occasion, when the fire broke out in the train station and Celty and Shizuo-kun went to check it out, she told me she saw the blue light again. So when Psyche-kun came in with a burst of blue light and got rid of the Shadows, I thought—”

“Did you not think that odd when I spoke of the unorthodoxy of our existence?” Hibiya added to the discussion despite having difficulty breathing. “Or even earlier, when I spoke of the Shadow World and who my kinsmen and I are?”

“I thought you were referring to the fact that you’re Shadows that can use Personas.”

“Good heavens, you’re hopeless,” Sakuraya panted. “Hibiya already made it that obvious to you, and you still don’t get it?”

“…Wait, I’m lost. What are you guys talking about?” said Chie, tired from only looking back and forth and not having anything he thought useful to say.

“I’m lost too,” Yosuke admitted, raising a hand. “How is this even relevant?”

“Oh, for the love of— You’re all hopeless.” Sakuraya was interrupted when his body shuddered and collapsed to the ground. He continued before anybody could even think of helping him, “We don’t use Personas, Kishitani Shinra – we _are_ Personas. And if that liar misled you into believing that we use Personas, then get it out of your head right now.”

“’m not a liar,” Psyche protested weakly, pressing his headphones against his ears. It rendered Tsugaru’s quiet words of comfort blocked out and of no help.

“You were born from a lie, Mr I’m-Not-a-Liar,” Hachimenroppi said venomously, approaching his white-coated counterpart. “A lie to protect poor fragile little me. Or have you already forgotten that?”

Psyche whimpered and buried himself further into Tsugaru’s hold, eliciting a silent wince from the blond.

“Leave him, Hachimenroppi, and have it in you to forgive him,” Hibiya ordered, falling to the ground as well. “Our kin is still confounded after having discovered that he had been manipulated at the hands of an inhuman being.”

“Ah, so that was how he got out, I see. Somebody opened the seal for him.” Hachimenroppi’s eyes glinted. “Take me to the one responsible.”

“Can’t do that even if we wanted to. Guy’s vanished,” Kanji said, cautiously tightening the grip on his shield.

“Then, how do _you_ leave this place?” Hachimenroppi challenged, resting a hand on his hip. “Humans shouldn’t even be here, but I was told you do reckless things like this often. Surely you must have a way out, if that is the case. Either you humans know some secret path to leaving this shithole…or you have somebody helping you with that.”

Naoto knew to stay calm, but unfortunately her less experienced peers bristled and their shoulders squared. A feral smirk cracked on Hachimenroppi’s face when he saw this.

“Bring me to that person,” the thrilled Shadow then demanded in a harsh whisper.

Naoto’s fingers clasped the handle of her gun with a click.


	33. Borderline of Madness V

**April 27, 2013**

“…And that is all I can remember at your command.”

“Thank you, um, you were a big help. Later, when I’m out of your sight, please forget that we had this meeting, and return to class as quickly as you can.”

“As you wish, Mother,” a girl who had her black hair tied in a bushy ponytail and was wearing the Raira Academy female student uniform – and whose eyes were glowing bright red – said, bending over in a full ninety-degree bow.

Sonohara Anri, whose eyes were no different from the girl’s, made sure to return it. As she turned and left the washroom, which she had made sure was empty save for the other student and her, she gave the demonic presence in her mind a small, polite push, and it backed away obediently, restoring Anri’s normal eye colour.

As she had done for the previous students she had approached, Anri went to the nearest hiding spot she could find and waited until the girl left the washroom and went back to class properly with her eyes back to normal. Inwardly, Anri thanked the students she had asked for help again and apologised to them while making her own way back to her classroom.

It wasn’t like she felt particularly bad for making use of them in such a manner, but she wouldn’t say it didn’t make her feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. And besides, it wouldn’t feel right to not apologise, either.

If she had a choice, Anri would avoid this form of dependence and reliance on other people. She might view them as her means of getting by life, but it didn’t mean people could be reduced to mindless slaves that obeyed her every command and showed her utmost reverence just to protect herself. She might not be able to love humans, but she understood well enough to respect them.

However, when it comes to Mikado and Masaomi, there is no such thing as a “choice”.

 _‘...Why is it that they don’t remember?’_ Anri thought to herself, lowering her melancholic gaze to the floor. _‘It’s not just them, too… The people I asked all have an impression of the things that happened two years ago, but that’s only when they’re under the influence of Saika. They even said that if I didn’t ask them for it, they wouldn't be able to recall anything at all._

 _‘…Does this have anything to do with Harima-san not remembering Yagiri-kun?’_ Anri pondered further, remembering the day when Mika returned to school with no memories of the past two years. The similarities were there, but soon after realising it Anri shook the likelihood away; Mika’s condition was even more extreme, when Anri compared it to everyone else’s. Mika’s was more like selective amnesia to forget about the pain of losing Seiji, while everyone else’s seemed more like their memories had been changed in some way or another.

Rather than say that they lost two years’ worth of memories, like Mika did, everyone else had two years’ worth of memories that were different from Anri’s own.

How and why this had happened were still a mystery. However, one thing seemed to be clear, after listening in on Mikado and Masaomi’s conversation and asking around the school.

The man who was responsible for the disturbances in her life two years ago, the only human being whom Saika detested…

The man who went by the name Orihara Izaya was definitely involved.

 _‘Mikado-kun and Kida-kun don’t remember him,’_ Anri continued to give it more thought, slowing down her steps without her realising it. _‘And the point when other people remembered things differently from me…is when Izaya-san had a hand in making those things happen.’_

And with everyone’s memories of the two years changed, it almost seemed as if, even though that very idea was far-fetched by itself, that Izaya didn’t—

[Anri-chan.]

With a soft gasp she couldn’t suppress in time, Anri halted in her tracks when the PDA screen flashed before her eyes.

“C-Celty-san?” she said, relaxing when she recognised the figure clad in black standing in front of her.

Ordinarily, Celty would’ve been flustered and worried over surprising Anri like that, but the Celty Anri saw now was still composed and typed on the PDA calmly. However, when she held it up again for Anri to read, Anri couldn’t help but notice that Celty’s fingers were trembling.

[I’m sorry for surprising you.] The screen read. [And I’m sorry for springing this onto you. As far as possible, I didn’t want to get you involved… But I was told that I might need your help, no matter how much I don’t like involving you.]

“Oh, it’s fine, Celty-san. I-I don’t mind it at all,” Anri was quick to respond. “Um, what can I do to help?”

Celty glanced around, which Anri presumed to be making sure that they were alone in the corridor, before she requested for Anri to lead her to the nearest and most secluded window they could find. Having no reason to decline other than mild suspicion, Anri obliged, and when Celty tapped on the glass and asked for her to look out the window, Anri did as she was told, and what she saw made her eyes widen slightly.

[Can you see him?] Celty asked.

Anri nodded, but she was uncertain of what – or whom – she was seeing. “Is… Is that—?”

[It’s Izaya.] Celty answered, the trembles now extending to her arms and shoulders. [I-I’m glad. I know I shouldn’t be saying this, for so, so many reasons, but… I’m glad… I’m not the only one…]

“Celty-san…what is going on?” Anri said, unable to erase the things she had heard today, unable to erase the image of the man she had believed to be dangerous and linked to all the recent strange happenings crumpled lifelessly in a dark heap over Celty’s motorcycle.

The demonic sword within her, however, shuddered. Not with anxiety, but with what seemed like _excitement_.

Celty steadied her fingers before she began typing. [It’s…a really long story. And I wish I could explain, but there isn’t much time left. I know this is really unfair to you, so if you don’t want to get yourself involved in this, I understand. I don’t want you doing something you think you might regret.]

Anri stole a glance at her shoes. “Mikado-kun and Kida-kun don’t remember,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m…worried…something has happened to them. S-so, if there’s anything I can do to help them, even…even if it’s something I might regret…I’m fine with it.”

The Dullahan lowered her “head”, appearing to consider this. Then, she tapped on the screen of her PDA.

[Thank you, Anri-chan. You’re very brave.]

 _‘Am I?’_ Anri had wanted to ask. No matter how she looked at it, there were a lot more people who were braver than she. Celty-san and Heiwajima-san, who would do anything to help and protect their friends without any hesitation; Mikado-kun and Kida-kun, who had the strength and courage to take responsibility for their actions, and continued to regard her as a friend even though they knew she was anything but normal; Harima-san, who stood up for her and talked back at the bullies in middle school... Even Niekawa Haruna-san was brave in Anri’s eyes, for being able to love someone so deeply that she could overcome and take control of her own Saika which everyone else succumbed to.

In comparison, there wasn’t anything special about what Anri was doing. There was nothing commendable about the lifestyle she led, nothing noble about her decision to involve herself in something that she might regret. She was just lending any help she could offer to give, like what any ordinary friend would do. And it was for a partly selfish reason, too.

“Um, well… What can I do to help?” Anri asked.

Celty erased the previous message. [There’s a place I need to go to.] She began to explain. [It’s only when I’m there that I can help make things normal again, according to the person who’s guiding me. But… With the way I am right now, I can’t do it alone.]

“‘W-With the way you are’? You mean…?”

[…My head has all of my missing memories.] Celty typed slowly. [That’s why, I think, if I had it, I would be able to do this by myself. But I haven’t the faintest idea where it could be to begin looking. And…I’m still not so keen on the idea of taking it back just yet.]

Celty waited until Anri was done reading before she continued typing. [That’s why I need your strength, Anri-chan. Not Saika’s, but yours.]

Anri blinked. “My…strength?”

[That’s right. It’s your own strength that allows you to have complete control over the original Saika, Anri-chan. Not just anybody can do that.] Celty replied, nodding.

Anri was inclined to disagree, but it wasn’t the time for that.

“I understand,” she said. “Where are we supposed to be heading to?”

Celty wasted no time in answering. [To Raira. Raira University.]

***

Ever since the shadowy thing’s words made him black out, Shizuo felt like he was living in a dream.

He wasn’t sure if it was because of this world and its never-ceasing thick fog, but for some reason Shizuo wasn’t quite feeling like himself. His body was his own, yet not his own at the same time; his thoughts were fleeting and didn’t weigh down on him like they usually did, and when he spoke, the words sounded lifeless and distant.

There was a strange sense of emptiness somewhere within him, like the feeling he normally got if he left home while forgetting to drink his daily glass of milk, or getting Kasuka some pudding from the convenience store and accidentally missed out on getting one for himself. And it was this strange sense of emptiness that made him feel like he was detached from the reality around him.

So when Hachimenroppi showed up and Shinra speculated about and explained who he was, Shizuo found that he wasn’t as astonished as he thought he would be, when the initial surprise wore off. Shinra made it sound complicated, but somehow it made sense. When the kids discussed further and talked about the fortress Shizuo had never seen for himself, they made even more sense.

The only two things the flea was ever good at were running away and making trouble, after all.

 _‘In a way,’_ Shizuo realised, giving a mirthless, inward chuckle, _‘the flea’s kinda like me.’_

Running away from himself, and causing the people around him trouble – those were things that Shizuo could relate to, things that he viewed as burdens, though the latter might not be as such for Izaya. From what he heard so far, Shizuo started thinking of Izaya as a person who, as a result of running away, ended up creating trouble for everyone around him, unlike his earlier impression of the flea as someone who got good at running _because_ of the trouble he liked to cause.

For Shizuo, that was how he would describe himself, except that he never liked troubling other people. He had a power that wasn’t fully under his control, and because of that, he had hurt people without intending to. Knowing this made him frustrated, but the more that happened, the more blood he found on his hands. It was something he couldn’t live with – _didn’t want_ to live with – and so Shizuo once decided it would be so much easier to just stop regarding it as his own.

Even after what happened with the Slasher incident, it was still difficult for Shizuo to wholeheartedly accept such a power. He had been euphoric when it finally listened to him for once, but he couldn’t guarantee it would always happen whenever he used it.

The flea was somewhat similar, Shizuo thought. If, for Shizuo, it was the unnatural strength that he had been trying to run away from, then for Izaya, it must be Hachimenroppi – his heart.

And, for reasons Shizuo couldn’t explain, the more he thought about himself and Izaya in the same frame…

…the more that emptiness seemed to be filling up.

But this realisation didn’t make Shizuo any less pissed about the injustices Izaya had done to him. Neither did it mean Izaya’s shitty flea behaviour could be excused.

“W-well,” Chie was saying to the flea’s heart, “he has a Persona…?”

 _‘…Persona…’_ Shizuo numbly slid one hand out of his pocket and slowly clenched it into a loose fist.

For some reason, that word no longer sounded the same to him.

 _‘…Why?’_ Shizuo wondered. _‘Why do I feel less strange when I hear that word and think about the flea? What is it about the two that I’m not remembering?’_

“Dammit,” Shizuo muttered under his breath. He could feel a pair of eyes dart towards him, but when Shizuo turned to find it, Shinra had already looked away and was answering Hachimenroppi’s question.

The red flea looked furious and annoyed, things that still looked alien on the flea’s face. But somehow Shizuo couldn’t shrug off the feeling that there was something familiar pulsing in those murky yellow eyes as the Shadow coldly laid out the accusation towards Psyche. It resonated with him, or maybe it was his own Shadow that the flea’s own was linking with, like how this place – this place called Niflheim, a word that was supposed to be unfamiliar to Shizuo – was shaped mostly by the both of them.

Shizuo made another curse under his breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Forget the milk and pudding analogies – he felt more like he had just woken up from a dream he was struggling to remember; like his mind was a jigsaw puzzle that was desperately trying to find the piece that had been taken away from him. There was “Persona”, and there was “Izaya”, and they were standing on two opposite ends of a bridge that was shrouded in thick, heavy mist.

“Heeeeyyy!” a familiar scratchy, high-pitched male voice yelled out, disrupting Shizuo’s thoughts and sending them plummeting even further into the abyss of the fog. The squeaks came to a clumsy halt as Teddie stopped by a nearby tree and waved. “Thank goodness you’re all here! Sensei’s not too far away with—”

“Teddie, get the hell away from here!” Yosuke cut in, with Kanji instantaneously diving for the bear with his shield covering as much of his back as possible.

“Oof!” Teddie coughed as the adolescent fell on top of him. “H-hey, what’s the big idea?”

“You heard Yosuke-senpai. Now c’mon!” Kanji exclaimed without much explanation, jumping straight up on his feet and giving Teddie a firm kick to set the bear’s body rolling across the snow.

“W-wait, whyyyyyy—” Teddie’s voice cried out before fading into the distance, with Kanji tailing right behind him.

Not long after, Hachimenroppi clicked his tongue, his brows furrowing so tensely that a shadow loomed across his features. Without muttering even a single word, he took slow steps forward, and then shoved the kids aside even as they tried to block his way. He lurched, and hunched his back, keeping his narrowed eyes on where the trail that Teddie and Kanji had left behind as he pounced.

Shizuo instinctively moved to pull him back while Naoto was about to pull the trigger when someone else had already flown in and knocked into Hachimenroppi with all his might and pinned him to the ground.

 _“I’m sorry,”_ said the person who managed to stop Hachimenroppi. It was somebody Shizuo had never seen before, and neither did the kids, if their blank looks were anything to go by.

The voice was soft-spoken and tender, but undeniably a male’s, and its owner had a long and slender body, so much so that it looked like a twig or a branch that was on the brink of snapping at any moment. It was adorned with a black, tight-fitting jumpsuit that looked no different from the kind Celty wore, and where it ended at the middle of his neck Shizuo could see pale, almost paper-white skin. The head, too, was narrow and angular, like the shape of a diamond. Where a person’s eyes, ears, and hair would be was replaced by an elaborate mask that had the shape of the underbelly of an insect and vast butterfly wings that were coated with nothing but black with a violet sheen, and all Shizuo could see was the lower half of the stranger’s face.

With fingers that looked like the needles of a cactus, the stranger pulled Hachimenroppi into an embrace, lifting the other man’s body slightly.

 _“I’m sorry,”_ he repeated, just as quietly and gently as before. It was then that Shizuo realised that the voice was ringing in his head and that nothing physical was even spoken, even though the stranger’s lips were moving.

Hachimenroppi bared his teeth, seething. “I don’t—” he stopped to force his way out of the horribly thin man’s grasp, but failed to do so. “I don’t want to hear that from _you._ ”

 _“I know,”_ the man said, his lips trembling. _“But, Rocchan… Roppi, the person you want to hear those words from…is gone.”_

Hachimenroppi froze, and so did everyone else when the realisation of the stranger’s identity dawned upon them.

“Psy… Psyche-san?” Yukiko breathed.

The masked man hesitated, then nodded numbly.

“How’s he able to…to do that?” Chie wondered aloud. “It feels like…”

Naoto, saying nothing, simply glanced over at Rise. Her suspicions were confirmed when the brunette said, “So Psyche-san wasn’t wrong about the similarity between my Shadow and Orihara-san’s, after all. But, to think that Psyche-san is the one with that kind of ability…”

“I think I know what you mean,” Yukiko said.

From the ground, Sakuraya gave an unimpressed scoff. “Amagi-san and Kujikawa-san think too highly of me. Do you not recall what I mentioned to you before, Amagi-san? I am ‘Perception’. For one to perceive one must be able to see or observe something or somebody else. However, Psyche-san is ‘Adaptability’. To adapt means being able to acclimatise oneself to one’s surroundings, and perception is but a mere step towards taking that sort of action.”

“An outlet, in other words,” Shinra took a guess, with that perpetual smile of his that was almost as annoying as Izaya’s no longer present on his face. “More importantly, though, Psyche-kun mentioned something interesting. ‘That person is gone’, or something? You can’t be referring to Orihara-kun by any chance, right?”

The man who once took the form of Psyche, Mengdie, curled his unnaturally thin fingers into Hachimenroppi’s coat, which had been slipping off since being knocked into the ground, and remained silent. The lack of a verbal answer, or any form of physical confirmation of Shinra’s question, elicited widened eyes from the Investigation Team kids as well as Shizuo.

The former bartender clenched his fists. “I thought just a while ago you were saying that the flea isn’t dead.”

 _“He’s not,”_ Mengdie replied quietly, earning him confused instead of shocked stares. _“Iza-chan isn’t dead. If he were, we wouldn’t be ourselves right now. No, he’s gone…to a place he shouldn’t be at. A place that’s even more dangerous than this world…and it’s all because of us.”_ Mengdie paused, giving a bitter smile. _“Because of Iza-chan himself, more like.”_

“Psyche-san…” Tsugaru whispered forlornly, taking slow steps towards them.

“How do you even know?” Yosuke asked, folding his arms across his chest. “I mean, you don’t exactly have the most reliable memory. Can we even trust you on what you’re saying?”

“Hanamura,” said Chie, before she elbowed her former classmate.

Mengdie shook his head. _“It’s fine, Chie-chan. Yo-chan’s right.”_ He took another pause here to lower his chin slightly, until it was buried in Hachimenroppi’s shoulder. _“It’s true. I didn’t remember properly all this while, and because of that, I got you all into trouble. Especially Shizuo-kun. But, when Rocchan called me a liar, and told me what my purpose was, I suddenly remembered everything. Because, see, the one I’ve been connected to all this while…when I said I knew all of Iza-chan’s memories, thoughts, emotions…that’s because I’m connected to Iza-chan’s heart. To Rocchan.”_

“Shut up…” Hachimenroppi breathed, but it didn’t deter Mengdie any.

 _“So when I said Iza-chan can’t be dead because I can feel him, it’s actually because I’ve been feeling Rocchan, and Rocchan’s here.”_ The masked man pulled Hachimenroppi closer. _“And just now, Rocchan’s thoughts… They reached me. They cleared up the jumble my mind was in. That’s why, I knew, what I – what we – have to do to bring Iza-chan back.”_

Hachimenroppi’s blazing gold eyes shone brighter as he started struggling in Mengdie’s hold. “I don’t want him back,” he spat acidly.

_“Rocchan, calm—”_

“I don’t want him back, you hear me? That bastard deserted me! Treated me as if I’m not a part of him! Thought he could reach the heavens or some—some stupid Valhalla place and continue loving humans from there while ignoring that I exist! And look at what we have here, the bastard ended up abandoning all of us!”

Hibiya let out a tired sigh. “Hachimenroppi, you know that is not so.”

The Shadow hissed. “I won’t let you lock me up like that again. Even if it means being trapped in this shithole forever.” And then, the shadowy tendrils surrounding him burst in a flare of dark, suffocating aura.

Yosuke and Chie cursed under their breaths, with Yosuke reaching into his coat to take out his kunai, while Yukiko and Naoto silently followed his cue and readied their own weapons. Rise looked on determinedly, and mentally summoned Kanzeon into manifestation. On Yosuke’s commands, Shinra and Shizuo stepped further away until they could feel the stifling effect the aura had on them weakening.

Mengdie, Hibiya and Sakuraya recoiled and let out shaky gasps before biting down on their lips and tongues. Blocks of static quickly encroached Mengdie’s entire body, which was close to fizzling out as Mengdie whimpered telepathically. Tsugaru hurriedly stepped in, a flash of something that looked like apprehension clouding his features, but was pushed away with a strong Garudyne that was conjured by one flap of Mengdie’s butterfly wings.

 _“Tsu-chan, go! Take Shiz_ uo-kun and go!” Mengdie yelled, shifting back into the form of Psyche whose eyes were unwavering and without any of the prior doubts and confusion that had been burdening him so heavily before.

Shizuo startled. “Wha—”

“Psyche-san…” Tsugaru murmured as he returned to his feet.

The smile on Psyche’s face was wry yet hopeful. “We’ll meet again soon, Tsu-chan. In that vast and endless Sea, where we first met.”

Sky blue eyes widened slightly before the blond broke into a pleasant, soothing smile. Without a reply, and without any anxiety or worry in his movements, Tsugaru hurriedly made his way over to Shinra and Shizuo, and politely tugged on Shizuo’s sleeve, motioning for him to follow.

“What’s going on now? Why did he ask you to do that?” Shizuo questioned, not sure if he ought to comply when the flea’s Shadow was behaving so erratically.

“While a fight is about to take place here, yet another is close to breaking out somewhere else,” Tsugaru said. “We can’t have that happening without us there.”

 _‘…Oh, that’s what he means,’_ Shizuo thought, as he recalled what they were even running in this direction for. He took a moment to glance at the four fleas, then at the kids who were getting ready for the fight that Tsugaru had referred to. It was only when he saw Hanamura’s firm nod that Shizuo nodded himself. “Alright. Lead the way.”

“Hey! Wait up!” Chie called out, rushing to join them. “I’m coming with you.”

Shizuo raised a brow. “You sure your pals are okay with that?”

Chie waved it off. “Sure it’s fine. They need another fighter over there too, since Teddie might need to focus on scanning whatever he can, as Hanamura and Naoto-kun just told me.”

“If you say so, I guess.” Shizuo didn’t know all of the details about fighting Shadows, so there wasn’t much else he could say about a decision the more experienced kids had made.

“Hold on, then what about me?” Shinra said, pointing towards himself.

Shizuo tossed his childhood friend a glance before pushing his shades up the bridge of his nose, shrugging. “Don’t ask us. Isn’t that the kind of thing you decide on your own?”

Shinra gave a slight frown before crossing his arms. “You put me in a tight spot, Shizuo-kun. How could you ask me to choose between you and Izaya like that?”

Shizuo said nothing, and simply rolled up his sleeve.

“Okay okay, I’ll go with you,” Shinra hurriedly replied, raising both arms in surrender. “It’s not everyday I get to study you on a personal level in greater detail, after all.”

“…On second thought, Shinra, I think you should stay.”

“Ehh what’s with that indecisive—I’m sorry I said anything,” Shinra corrected himself the moment he noticed his childhood friend’s death glare piercing through him.

With that settled, Shizuo gave his lookalike and the Satonaka girl a quick nod which they returned. Then, the three of them started running in the direction of the marks and footprints that Kanji and Teddie had left behind, and they were about to melt into the shadows of the woods when somebody called out Shizuo’s full name.

The former bartender halted in his tracks and turned swiftly on reflex. Hibiya – as were his “kinsmen” – was enveloped in a corona of shadowy aura with wisps of maroon, obscuring him from Shizuo’s view; it was like straining to see through a thin curtain of black mist, and Shizuo couldn’t even be sure if the gold he was seeing belonged to the prince’s eyes or crown or robes. The same gold that had made even someone who looked like the flea appear so majestic and gallant when Shizuo first met him in full view.

“Heiwajima Shizuo,” Hibiya uncharacteristically yelled again, though it was a tad bit more distorted and muffled than it had been before. “Before you depart, it is of utmost importance that you at least know of this. I haven’t the time to elaborate, but I am certain you will have the opportunity to ask later.” He paused when the gale dragging him into Hachimenroppi intensified. “Heiwajima Shizuo, Orihara Izaya—we—I… Though it might be saddled with imperfections, and though it might be for a mere moment…there was a point in time when I looked upon you as any other human being. A point in time when I…when Orihara Izaya saw you as no different from regular human beings. Do you comprehend?”

Shizuo’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t stop himself from choking on his own breath. The sharp intake of cold air felt like a ball of needles rolling down his throat and eventually tickling his chest, which Shizuo lightly patted so that he could cough the cold out, but it did nothing to distract him from the unexpected revelation no thanks to his natural disposition for unnatural pain tolerance.

“…The flea…thought of me as human?” The words that left Shizuo’s lips were quiet and tender, despite the earlier choking. _‘Wait, doesn’t that mean… The flea –_ the _Orihara Izaya – who wouldn’t stop calling me a monster or protozoan or Neanderthal and trying to ruin my life and stir up shit and always said he hated me…loved_ me _? Like he loves humans?’_

“Now go,” Hibiya ordered, not offering to repeat his words, “and do not forget. Leave the questions for when you return to the land from which you hailed.”

Shizuo blinked. “O…oi, you can’t just—”

“Come on, Heiwajima-san!” Chie interrupted. “We need to leave while we still have the chance.”

The fortissimo of Ikebukuro turned around sharply and was close to barking a gruff, defiant reply to tell her that he couldn’t just _do that_ when Hibiya dropped a bomb on him like that, but held himself back right before those words left his lips when he noticed a pair of serene, sapphire blue eyes peering at him. Tsugaru didn’t say a single thing, but somehow Shizuo knew – “This isn’t the time to get angry, Heiwajima-san. Please, hold your temper”, was what the other blond wanted to tell him.

Shizuo sighed, which came out in the form of a mix of a growl and a groan. “Alright, alright. Let’s move on already, then.” Then, he added as an afterthought, “But when we finally get this shit storm cleared up and settled, I’m gonna pound the answer out of the flea and nobody’s stopping me unless I say so.”

***

“Get ready, guys,” came Rise’s warning once Shizuo, Chie, and Tsugaru had finally left the area.

Throughout this entire time since Hachimenroppi snapped and started sucking in the nearby Shadows – which happened to include Psyche, Hibiya, and Sakuraya – Yosuke had been splitting his attention back and forth to make sure Heiwajima-san could get out safely while ensuring he and his friends weren’t caught unprepared by any sudden attack at the same time. It was a real drain on his mental strength, which Yosuke thought was already nothing commendable or worth boasting about, so when Hibiya the prince said something about Orihara-san seeing Heiwajima-san like he did any other human, Yosuke caught onto the underlying meaning in shock and creeping horror and couldn’t erase the image of that particular Midnight Channel surfacing in his mind.

Naoto had to specifically point out to him, “It’s not what you think it is, Hanamura-senpai. Orihara-san’s ‘love’, if I may boldly term it in that manner, is not…the usual definition of love, as you may already be aware by now,” before the brunet could calm down and focus on the impending fight. Just a little, though.

But it was the intensifying gales whipping around the now indistinguishable figure of Hachimenroppi that demanded his full attention, and Yosuke hurriedly shook all distracting thoughts off his mind as he laid his eyes on the sight before him. The thick, stifling shadowy aura now took the form of a spiralling pillar that pierced through the trees and touched the upper canopy of the forest, possibly even beyond that which Yosuke could not see. During this familiar moment, all was silent except for the sounds of rushing zephyrs; the shapes, colours, and voices of Psyche, Hibiya, and Sakuraya long drowned in the sea of coal black and spots of blood red.

Yosuke hadn’t been close to any of them – heck, he barely knew they even existed, save for Psyche – but it didn’t take Souji’s genius to know his friends weren’t exactly happy with the way things turned out. Amagi looked like she would’ve gotten along pretty well with the one in the pink kimono if there had been more time, Rise probably bonded with Psyche over their somewhat similar identity issues, and it was more likely than not that Naoto found in the prince a certain flair of intellect that only she could fully appreciate. In contrast, Yosuke never really managed to get that kind of interaction with Hachimenroppi, and while part of him was glad about it, he still couldn’t help but feel a little left out.

 _‘But, then again, they’re all the same person, aren’t they?’_ Yosuke thought. _‘Even if it didn’t seem like I could get a real conversation going with that guy with the freakish mood swings, no thanks to that damn Fear spell…at least I managed to talk to him, I guess.’_

Yosuke came close to snorting aloud, but managed to stop himself before that happened when the dark pillar dissipated.

“Incoming!” Rise exclaimed.

Almost instantaneously, a black, messy blob swung down and hung from a branch of one of the trees where the pillar used to occupy. Strands of silk, with the appearance of bunched up black hair, from the cylindrical blob swayed in the chilling breeze of endless winter. Then, it gave a violent shudder, and a diagonal line cracked across the dull coating, like a cocoon ready to burst and let loose the metamorphosed creature that had been anticipating this moment.

 _“…I am a Shadow,”_ whispered the voice Yosuke and the others had known all too well by now, as a pair of bat-like wings spread out from the crack, revealing a shrivelled humanoid figure with marble white skin and long, tangled black hair that was wet and dripping maroon liquid. Its entire body was draped with a thin piece of black cloth that had grown mouldy and was torn in various places, locked and bound to it with rusty metal chains wrapped around its body. Only its bare feet was free for the transformed Shadow to cling onto the tree, and its face, too, which the present members of the Investigation Team noticed with gradual alarm as they found themselves staring into a pair of empty eye sockets. _“The true self,”_ it ended, its cracked, blue – almost violet – lips that had been horrendously sewn together struggling to speak.

“Gross,” Yosuke couldn’t help but whimper. Satonaka would’ve elbowed him for making that tactless comment; Rise didn’t do too bad of a job as her substitution.

 _“…So,”_ the Shadow muttered, _“it seems we’ve finally come to the end of the first round of our game. Though, I must admit, I hadn’t intended for you to have gone to so deep an extent into it.”_

“Hold on, a game? All of that…was just a game?” said Yukiko, almost sounding like she was demanding for an answer. “Setting the fortress on fire, making us run around aimlessly… That was just a game to you?”

The supposedly berserk Shadow gave one flap of its wings, sending a ridiculous amount of shoddy, silky hair falling to the ground as if it were moulting. _“Well, talk about taking things seriously!”_ It chuckled – or, at least, if something that sounded like a thin piece of glass shattering could be considered one. _“Perhaps you’re lacking in your understanding of a ‘game’ somewhat, Amagi Yukiko-chan. Or, to be more precise, you’re all misunderstanding what a ‘game’ truly means.”_

“What’s there to misunderstand?” Rise folded her arms. “We’re talking about lives here, mister. We’re not in here to let loose and have fun when people could be in danger.”

“’Specially not when people have literally died from being in this place,” Yosuke added, glaring at the Shadow. “Even if kicking Shadow butt can be fun and stuff, that’s not the point in us being here.”

Naoto nodded curtly. She didn’t mention anything else, but it was clear from her silence and the way she stared at the grotesque human-like creature that she didn’t take its comment too lightly.

The Shadow grinned. The chains wrapped around its body shook and chimed in a series of what sounded like claps as it wobbled about the branch. _“Excellent answers! They just proved to me that you all really_ don’t _understand how a game truly works.”_

Yosuke blinked. “Wha…?”

 _“So I’ll show you,”_ the Shadow continued, _“by commencing Round Two.”_

Then it broke itself off from the branch and dived straight for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Mengdie is kind of like my own creation. "Kind of", because I based its design off a particular Persona which happens to go by the name Psyche. Mengdie (梦蝶), literally translated to English, means "dream butterfly". The naming is based on a famous quote by the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi. There's also another meaning to the name I picked, and it's related to the word "psyche" itself, as well as another rather important character in the Persona 'verse, but... I'll leave that for you to figure out! ;)


	34. I'll Face Myself I

**April 27, 2013**

The dash for the inevitable confrontation with his Shadow was filled with silence and tension, the latter mostly on his own part.

While he ought to be worried about whatever was in store for him, Shizuo instead found himself being more preoccupied with the vague yet shockingly honest confession from the flea prince earlier. Even though it wasn’t mentioned directly, the meaning behind Hibiya’s words was not hard to pick up on, and the mere idea of Izaya ever thinking of him as human – even if it were just for a split second or a split of a split of a split second – was enough to get his mind spinning.

For the longest time since he could remember, Shizuo felt the butterflies fluttering in the depths of his gut as he ran, their metaphorical wings sending waves of blood to every part of his body. The wind blowing against his face was supposed to feel like cold rain droplets trickling across his skin, but now it felt like the air around him was turning as warm as his whole body was getting. He’d gotten accustomed to such a feeling, to this supposed adrenaline rush he got whenever his temper got the better of him, and yet it was an alien sensation at the same time. He didn’t feel himself letting slip any shred of self-control, the usual unusual strength wasn’t gathering at his fingers, and the spread and the build-up of the warmth was gradual, like ripples in a calm body of water.

There was a certain element of tranquility to it, an element that Shizuo was mostly unfamiliar with, and as he grabbed hold of that thought and continued pondering about it further, the fortissimo of Ikebukuro held back a snort.

 _‘Before, the flea would be the one pissing me off,’_ he mused, _‘and now, some part of his Shadow is making me feel the complete opposite.’_

It was somewhat apt, Shizuo thought, when he connected this to the idea of Shadows being suppressed human thoughts and emotions, as well as his earlier idea of him and Izaya being more similar than he would have ever expected. Perhaps deep down, Izaya was aware of it too, but because of his messed up, stupid flea pride, he rejected that very notion. Shizuo could just imagine it: “What? You think we share something in common? …Don’t lump me together with a protozoan like you. I know you have an undeveloped brain, but this is just laughably ridiculous even for you, Shizu-chan.”

It almost sounded real in his head, except Shizuo could not think of a reply eloquent enough to convince Izaya otherwise. But he was starting to feel determined to find a way to make it real, no matter what form it might take.

 _‘So wherever you really are,’_ he thought, tilting his head slightly towards the canopy, _‘don't even think about giving in, Izaya. You've got a whole lotta mess you're sorta responsible for, and you'd better make it back in one piece to clean it up.'_

He wasn’t expecting an answer, and when he did receive it, it was in the form of the somewhat distant howl of the winter zephyrs and gales of shadowy aura.

“We’re almost there,” Shizuo heard his own voice – except much calmer and more serene than he could ever hear himself say – point out. He turned towards his left, where one of his doppelgangers was gliding across the snow, hands tucked into the sleeves of his kimono.

Shizuo had nothing to say to that. Not that he ever had much to say to someone who looked exactly like him and happened to be part of his inner psyche. He was still working on that.

"Perhaps we should take our time from here on," Tsugaru suggested, though he was already slowing down a bit. Satonaka looked like she wanted to refute that, but Tsugaru cut her off before she could make any comment. "After all, there is something I would like to confirm with you, Heiwajima-san."

"...About what?" Shizuo asked.

"What does strength mean to you?" Tsugaru spoke, casting a firm yet soft gaze on the person responsible for his existence.

Shizuo couldn't give a reply immediately, and almost choked on his own breath for a moment. It was a bomb of a question, and something Shizuo himself had been wondering and had no answer to for _years_.

Most people might look towards themselves or other people as examples, but his "strength" didn't work in the manner he had been hoping for. It put other people in danger, and caused his family and the townspeople too much trouble for him to list. He had tried his darnest best in making it work the way he wanted it to, but he couldn't. It made him feel weak and vulnerable, and there was not one aspect of his "strength" to feel proud of.

If anything, Celty would be the prime example of someone who displayed true strength. She wasn't human; could summon up shadows and scythes and stuff. But she tried living as one in spite of who she was, and was even able to find love in Shinra, a human being – though sometimes Shizuo doubted he had the mentality of one – who loved her unconditionally. She had the courage to love even though she wasn't human, a trait that Shizuo found really admirable. He'd even say Celty was more human than he was.

"Heiwajima-san?" Tsugaru nudged.

"Sorry, guess I spaced out there. Strength, huh." Shizuo let the word roll on his tongue for a bit, and it tasted just as bitter as it sounded when he said it. "If I really have to say something... Strength is, being strong enough to overcome anything. Even if you're hated by everyone, or the world is against you, you face it all like you don't give a damn,” he answered, thinking of Celty and the trials she had gone through.

"I see," Tsugaru replied, smiling a little. "Then, do you think you have that? That kind of strength you just described?"

"Not one bit," Shizuo said without hesitation.

Of course Tsugaru knew he would say that, but the other blond asked all the same, and he did so again, "Well... Then what kind of strength do you think you have?"

"...The bad kind," Shizuo responded quietly.

Tsugaru nodded, presumably in understanding, but at the same time, his ocean blue eyes looked at the snow on the ground. "I thought so."

Shizuo could only stare, not knowing if he was supposed to respond to that. And if he was, then _how_ he should respond was another factor to consider. In the silence that had fallen, the deep bellow of the abnormal winds continued to grow steadily louder, and the same stifling feeling from earlier was beginning to engulf his entire body and press against his chest, as though sucking away the air from his lungs.

"Well, what about you, Satonaka-san?" said Tsugaru, turning to face the adolescent. "Is it alright with you if I asked you for your opinion?"

"Uh, sure?" Chie rubbed the back of her head, sounding a bit surprised that she had been included in the conversation. "To be honest, though, I can't really give a clear answer, but I guess strength is...having the power to protect those you love? Or more like, having the right kind of power to do that."

That answer left part of Shizuo's gut rolling about, the invisible butterflies' wings shuttering once again. He knew she hadn't directed it at him, and he knew she didn't realise what her words meant to him, but Shizuo still felt a pang of guilt striking his chest as Satonaka's words echoed in his mind: _the right kind of power, the right kind of power_...

"May I request for further clarification?" Tsugaru asked, snapping Shizuo out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, 'course you can!" The brunette hummed thoughtfully. "Well... I guess you could say that strength is being able to protect people without overstepping your boundaries. Like, not pushing yourself too hard, or helping other people so often you end up looking like you're trying to keep them to yourself. You gotta know what's right and what's wrong when using whatever you have to help other people out. But what's really important is that it's also about knowing you can rely on people, too. It took me a while to realise it myself."

Shizuo didn't exactly disagree with her opinion, but he was a tad bit curious how she would answer if he had asked about having the wrong kind of power from the start. And..."relying on people" was just the thing he would normally avoid. He'd caused enough trouble for the people around him as it was.

Tsugaru, on the other hand, nodded again. "An interesting perspective. Thank you for shedding more light on the topic, Satonaka-san."

"Ah it's nothing," Chie replied with a cheery smile. "Though, if you don't mind me asking... Why'd you bring this up all of a sudden?"

Tsugaru said nothing at first, the corners of his lips widening slightly into a thin, graceful smile that Shizuo thought looked like it belonged on the face of noble ladies or princesses more than it did on a face that looked like his. Then, he turned his head to steal a glance at Shizuo, before he unhurriedly looked away and at the path before them. A low, steady clap of thunder roared at almost the same time a flash of lightning cracked across the sky, and thin strips of bursts of shadowy aura could be seen flaring up within a corona of coniferous trees up ahead of them.

"I just wanted to be sure," Tsugaru said.

Shizuo didn't like the sound of that.

***

"Oh! They're here!" Teddie exclaimed, flapping his arms as he skipped about his squeaky feet.

At the mention of their arrival, Souji and the others turned, and waited until Shizuo, Tsugaru and Chie fully entered the area before the grey-haired adolescent acknowledged their presence. Chie heaved a huge sigh of relief upon meeting her leader and seeing that he was alright.

While the kids were having their brief reunion, Shizuo couldn't help but notice the doppelganger who had been giving off the menacing aura that had been strangling the air out of him all this while. To his surprise, this one was even wearing the exact same bartender outfit he usually wore, almost as if trying to say that he was so-called closer to Shizuo than the other lookalikes were. He was also sporting a pair of glasses, while Shizuo's normal shades were nowhere to be seen on him. Around his neck was a pale turquoise scarf, a shade so faint it nearly appeared white.

"...You've finally shown up," the bespectacled lookalike murmured, his pitch higher than Shizuo would've expected. It was muddled by the deep echo of some other unknown voices, though, so for all Shizuo knew, this guy's voice could be one of them instead.

"Uh, I'm...here?" Shizuo responded. He scratched the back of his neck, and shrugged slightly. He knew that was a little lame, but he didn't really care about how he sounded at the moment, and continued to focus his attention on his otherworldly clone. "You're Tsukishima...right?"

The doppelganger Tsukishima simply gave a huff, and drew back in some of the thick, crushing aura he had been exuding. Instantly it became a whole lot easier to breathe, and Shizuo grabbed this chance to take in a long, deep breath.

Unfortunately, that gave off a certain impression that Shizuo hadn't intended for. "Feelin' the jitters, huh?" said the Tatsumi kid, who flashed Shizuo a sympathetic smile. "S'not everyday you get to face yourself, after all."

"And boy am I glad that's the case," Satonaka said, placing her fists on both hips as she sighed. "Well, break a leg, Heiwajima-san. And don't worry, if anything happens, you've got us to fall back on." At the later statement, Chie brought up a thumbs-up sign and a reassuring smile. It was weird, having to count on a group of kids to protect him. He settled for a quick and firm nod before taking a few steps forward.

"Give it a chance to talk," Seta said, voice quiet yet steady from behind him. Shizuo wasn't sure what that entailed, and why it implied that he wasn't going to like whatever the Shadow was going to say, but he had a feeling he was going to find out soon.

"Hey, me, how's it going?" Delic called out from the right. It took a moment for Shizuo to realise that it was a rhetorical question when the pink-eyed blond leaned forward and swung a lazy arm across his shoulders, bringing him close enough to hear Delic whisper, "Just a heads-up when dealing with Tsuki: you do not want to piss the lil' tyke off. I mean it. He doesn't like getting mad."

Shizuo didn't understand why that was to be taken as so bad a secret that Delic had to come up with those gestures just to whisper it to him. In fact, he felt quite the opposite, and his shoulders relaxed a little. "Really? Sounds like we'll get along just fine," he replied before he shook the other's arm off, gaining a startled grunt in response which he paid no attention to as he moved on.

To his left was the lookalike dressed in the butler uniform, but this one didn't make as much as a whisper, and simply folded an arm across his chest as he made a ninety-degree bow. It only served to make Shizuo even more uncomfortable.

When he was finally at close enough a distance from Tsukishima, Shizuo stopped and gingerly slid his hands in his pockets. "You sure took your time in getting here," his Shadow spoke.

Unable to think of an appropriate reply, Shizuo shrugged and said the first thing that came to his mind, "If you wanted to see me that much, then why didn't you come looking for me?"

He could hear someone – most likely Delic – groan and slam a palm against his forehead. _'...What? Don't tell me_ that's _gonna piss him off. I was just asking.'_

As Delic's reaction justified, however, Shizuo saw the expression on his Shadow's face darken considerably. "Don't you think I would've done that if I could?"

"Huh... You mean you couldn't?" And he heard Delic outright curse this time – what the hell was he doing wrong?

"Oh please. You think _you_ have the right to judge my sense of direction? Go look at yourself in a mirror – if you can even find one." Tsukishima rolled his eyes, then reached up to loosen the scarf around his neck heatedly, almost like how those annoyed, down-in-the-dumps debtors who wore business suits messed with those ties whenever he saw them arguing with Tom.

He hadn't even gotten into a proper conversation with his Shadow yet, but Shizuo was already starting to get annoyed with that attitude. "What was that, you bastard?!"

"A-ahh, Shizuo, stay calm! Deep breaths, deep breaths!"

"Uh, Ted, I don't think that's what you normally say in this kinda situation..."

Tatsumi and the bear's mumbling to each other wasn't helping much, either, but he did get the reminder that he needed to at least hear Tsukishima out and let him say his piece. So Shizuo did as Teddie instructed, much to Chie and Kanji's voiced confusion, and tried to take it from the top again.

"Alright. Fine. Could you tell me..." Shizuo paused momentarily. _'Damn, this is hard. I mean, what the hell do I even_ say _?'_ "Could you tell me what you meant by that?"

Tsukishima seemed to regard him with mild approval, and the shadows that crossed his features faded away. "Exactly what it sounded like," he replied vaguely, as he adjusted his scarf back. "You're lost."

Shizuo raised a brow, but refrained from making any comments.

"Not just about the things that have happened recently," Tsukishima clarified, taking on a slightly gentler, though monotonous, tone, "but your whole life. Since discovering, to your utmost disgust and horror, the terrible power you possess, you often find yourself caught between polarities of all sorts, and you haven't the faintest idea which you fall under. Which you belong to. And it makes you feel lost, like you're leading a directionless life that goes on without an end. Maybe you're a kind person beneath those thick layers of power, maybe you want to be of help to other people, but then you turn around and you end up destroying their homes, their families, their lives. Oh, and maybe, just maybe, you want to love and be loved by other people, but you're so much of a coward you wouldn't even dare to go near a single person! If that's the kind of life you lead everyday, and the kind of life you're going to be leading even in the future, then what else is it but meaningless and directionless?"

At this, Shizuo truly felt himself going speechless. Those were his sour spots, alright, and though he wouldn't deny he harboured those thoughts and let them bother him, Shizuo had to admit that it hurt to hear them aloud in his own voice, no matter how distorted it was.

"I don't belong anywhere," the Shadow continued, driving a blade deep into Shizuo's gut at that open, unashamed admittance. "I want to use my power to protect other people, but it gets them into trouble instead. I want to lead a normal, peaceful life, but I can't because there's nothing about me that's normal!" Tsukishima's breath hitched at this, and hearing that had Shizuo's throat coiled up in knots. "Everything I do doesn't come out right. Everything I touch breaks apart. Everything about me is _wrong_ , and I know that, yet I want to make things _right._ But I can't. How can someone like me – someone who doesn't even know how to make sense of myself – ever have a place to belong, let alone have friends and be loved by anyone?"

"Heiwajima-san..." Shizuo heard Seta murmur, and that was the last straw. The nagging feeling that he didn't like anything his lookalikes did and said now became all too clear for him. This was why he didn't want anyone knowing about how he felt about himself. This was why he only confided in Celty and Kasuka – because they understood, and they understood well enough to not throw a pity party for him.

He had already caused enough trouble for the people around him. The last thing he needed was to make them feel sorry and worry about him.

"Shut up," Shizuo growled, mostly meant for Souji, but it didn't stop Tsukishima's eyes from widening and the shadowy aura, intensifying. "Yeah, I'm messed up. I can't do anything right, I make my parents apologise for the shit they're not responsible for, I wreck half the town whenever the flea drops by for even half a second..." He hadn't really meant to mention Izaya, but when he did, the corners of Shizuo's lips curled into a dry smile. "But, that's how it is, right? This...power," he slipped out one of his hands and clenched it, before unclenching it and clenching it close, "probably wasn't meant for me to control. I tried, and it worked, but that's the only time it did in all the times I tried."

"...So you won't try again?" Tsukishima asked, gazing at Shizuo intently.

"I don’t know. I mean, it felt good, y'know? When it worked." Shizuo paused, glancing at the ground. "But pulling that kinda shit again is way too risky. Too—”

"—dangerous," Tsukishima said with a sneer that looked way creepier than Hachimenroppi did, "just like everything about you. What's new?"

"...Um, what?" Shizuo could only say that much, his earlier confidence and anger deflated. He didn't understand what Tsukishima was hinting at.

"It's dangerous, just like you were about to say. But at the same time, it felt so damn good, didn't it? Being able to control the power you were given, even for just a short moment?" The Shadow chuckled, and the way he did just screamed wrong in Shizuo's ears. He thought he heard Seta and Tatsumi yell out something, and the sounds of some weights falling to the ground, but they were all drowned out by the sound of his own twisted voice. "What was it that you said? That 'this power probably wasn't meant for you to control'? That's hilariously stupid bullshit and you know it!"

Shizuo took a cautious step back, now utterly lost. The change in Tsukishima was far too drastic for him to handle; even his thoughts, which were usually making a mess of his head, fell deathly silent.

"How could something that wasn't meant for you feel so _right_ when the thing you've always been wishing for finally came true?" Tsukishima exclaimed, golden flames burning brightly in his eyes. "That's the one time you felt things were going right for you for once, isn't it? So! Reconciling yourself with this power is the only way you feel like you're truly you, and that you finally belong somewhere, and yet you say it wasn't meant for you? Don't kid yourself."

He whirled about on his feet, an action that was supposedly simple, but the moment he made the full turn, the Shadow kicked up a force strong enough to send a shockwave through the area. The air sparked, sending tiny flames fluttering to the ground that had sunken and made a shallow pit beneath his feet, yet the trees and the snow were relatively unaffected by Tsukishima's might. It was just that, a shockwave – a wave of power that drifted by yet made no marks of destruction in its wake.

The butterflies in Shizuo's stomach raged, sending a gust of envy sweeping over him at the display of Tsukishima's power and his masterful control over it. Shizuo gritted his teeth. "I didn't... I never even wanted—"

"Oh and hey, if it all goes well, maybe you might even put this power of yours to good use! You know, like those superheroes who fight crime for some noble cause using their abilities?” Tsukishima nodded, excited by the prospect of the idea. “I mean, you've always wanted to protect Ikebukuro, haven't you? Even though most of the townspeople are dead scared of you, you just can't turn your back on anyone so long as they're in trouble. Ohh I know! Next time you see Izaya making a mess of things, maybe you could try going all out on him. Doesn’t that sound neat?”

Shizuo flinched. The broad sunny smile on Tsukishima's face would've been a nice sight if not for the fact that he spoke every word as if he were spitting acid.

"Up till now, all you've been making are some lame, weakass threats you don't even seriously consider carrying out. And that's exactly why that rotten bastard can get away with whatever he does. That guy's smart, after all. Enough to snake his way around and avoid arrest and stuff like that." He paused here to cast Shizuo a watchful gaze, his eyes narrowing to slits. "That's why somebody's gotta teach him a lesson or two."

Shizuo clenched his fists.

"Ah, but who should be the one to take up the responsibility? The police are useless, like I said. There's Celty, but she's only recently beginning to enjoy her life with Shinra. Having her go after Izaya all the time would be troubling for her, wouldn't it? Then there's Simon-san, but he prefers relying on his words instead of his strength, and it’s not guaranteed that he can always get the message across to Izaya when it needs to. Who else, who else...?"

"...I really, really want for you," Shizuo snarled, finally finding his voice, "to _shut the hell up_." He didn't want to admit it, not even to himself, but his Shadow was starting to sound a whole lot like a particular detestable someone who had a pile of shit to clean up.

"Well, it can only be us, then. Right?" Tsukishima said, maintaining the beaming smile on his face. "We're the only ones who really bother with him, and we're the only ones who can effectively deal with him. It makes sense, doesn't it? You want to protect Ikebukuro. Izaya's a dangerous presence to Ikebukuro. So, if we can use our power to contain Izaya, we'd be able to protect Ikebukuro from him! Isn't that the perfect outcome?"

"It's not!" Shizuo retorted. There was something about the way Tsukishima said "contain" that really irked him, and it was biting at him so badly he had to get it off his chest. "Well, yeah, okay, the flea's one hell of an annoyance, and he's ruined my life before...and I'm pretty sure he's ruined a couple others' too, but that doesn't mean—"

"Izaya sure has it great, doesn't he?" Tsukishima interrupted, switching subjects yet again. "When you think about what he's done, he's a troublemaker through and through. And yet he never has to answer for the consequences of his actions. Nope, he just slips away, like every damn time we try to get to him. Even though he's hated by pretty much everyone, even by his own sisters, it's like he doesn't give a damn and just keeps going with what he's doing.”

"Where are you going with this?" Shizuo asked, growing exhausted and too confused to keep up.

"We worry too much," Tsukishima elatedly pointed out. "Fear too much. That's why we never _get_ anywhere. But Izaya... He doesn't let all that drag him down. Well of course, he doesn't have this crazy nonsensical power to deal with in the first place, but we both know even if he did, he'd be able to work his way around it. That's something we don't have. That daredevil, taunting nature of his. Pisses us off, doesn't it?"

"That's not... Izaya isn't..."

"Oh please, don't even try. You know it's true. Why, the only reason you're so fixated on him is because you've admired yet envied him all these years." The Shadow's eyes glinted like a cat's in the pooling darkness of night, before he added, "Though, if it wasn’t for what happened back then…would you still have these conflicting feelings, I wonder?”

Shizuo immediately looked up, straightening his back and squaring his shoulders. "Oi, what... Whaddya mean by that?"

"Don't pull the Neanderthal card now. You know exactly what I mean," Tsukishima said, looking crossed and bored. "I'm sure you haven't forgotten about that kiss that other bastard gave you."

A chill colder than the harshest of the winds in this Niflheim place ran down Shizuo's spine. All of a sudden the fabric of his clothes felt like electrified needles, prickling every bit of his skin, and he almost felt compelled to scratch and pry them off. Black spots started to cloud his vision, its edges blurring as he gradually lost his focus. The sensation was familiar, and Shizuo could've sworn he only experienced this just minutes ago, when he thought he had spaced out.

_'No, not now... Not again, dammit...!'_

Shizuo closed his eyes shut and shook the disorientation away. The chill was still there, and so were the needles, but at least his head was clearer now, and not as heavy with giddiness as it had before. Those images that he saw last night – which felt so damn distant now it was hard to believe all of this was happening within just one day – and he thought he had blocked off were resurfacing again, but at a steadier, more coherent pace. As he took a glimpse at them, which was the best he could do under these circumstances, his eyes slowly widened.

"What... No way..."

"Do you remember now?" Tsukishima spoke, cutting through the images that drifted by before Shizuo's eyes. "Do you finally recognise who I am?"

"...You're..."

At the tone of vague familiarity in Shizuo's voice, Tsukishima visibly softened, to the point that the shadowy aura he was giving off had become a thin mist, and his eyes were no longer as bright as they were earlier. Then, without any warning, he flared up once again.

"That's right. I'm the thing you've kept denying, the thing you keep pushing away, because 'I'm not meant for you'," the Shadow said mockingly, taking a firm step forward. "But the truth is, Heiwajima Shizuo, I've always been there inside you. I know you like the back of my hand, because I've been through everything you have. Your fears, your insecurities, your desires... Nothing about you escapes me.

"We were whole, once. Though it was only for a short period of time, you were able to overcome the weaknesses of your heart. But," Tsukishima's voice lowered an octave, "as time passed and things went back to normal, so too did your attitude towards me. And, now, as I have heard from you... You don't know what to do with me. Hell, you never even wanted me."

Shizuo could only let his arms hang limply by his sides as he lowered his gaze. He still couldn't trust the things he saw, but he also couldn't find it within himself to declare them false.

"...That's not it," Shizuo murmured. "It's just... I don't think I'm ready."

For a moment there was complete silence, even from the kids and the other doppelgangers who were supposed to have been around. But then again, Shizuo hadn't exactly been paying any attention to his surroundings since falling deep into the conversation with Tsukishima, so there could've been some talking going on that he wasn't aware of. Regardless, there was silence in Shizuo's world, and all he could do while waiting for a reply was raise his head to meet Tsukishima's eyes.

"Then I'll force you to," his Shadow said, and that was the last thing Shizuo heard before the world spiraled into darkness.

***

Out of force of habit to avoid the incoming bolts of a rain of Maziodyne, Yosuke tripped over his foot and rolled across the snow until his back collided with the bark of a tree. With a croak, he shakily got to his knees and massaged his back, mumbling under his breath that he could've sworn he heard something crack earlier. He hoped it was anything but that – even though they had a nifty thing called Diarahan, there was nothing they could do about the damn pain that lingered – when he heard a shriek not too far away.

"Oh shi— Amagi!"

_"Wait, Yosuke-senpai don't—!"_

The sound of Rise's concerned yell was deafened by the clapping of thunder coming from right above him. For a split second, all Yosuke saw was white before his vision faded back to a spinning reality, finding himself lying on the snow and staring into the entangled tree branches and leaves that formed the forest's canopy. He felt like his entire body was on fire, and his muscles torn apart even though he hadn't seriously fought a single Shadow yet since entering the TV. The thunderclap was still ringing in his ears.

"Ugh... What hit me?"

 _"A Maziodyne,"_ Rise replied, and Yosuke might've made some sort of remark that she was stating the obvious without him noticing it because she went on to say, _"Well, of course I know you'd know what it was, but this Maziodyne... It felt like, I dunno, like it was aimed straight at you or something."_

"So, this Shadow, it knew about my weak point right from the start?" Yosuke winced as he forced himself on his feet and rubbed his shoulders, being careful not to accidentally cut himself with his knives. As soon as the statement left his lips, a realisation struck him. "Wait, then that means..."

_"Yeah, Psyche-san was right about the blood thing after all. Though...what I don't understand is—eek!"_

Hearing the scream was as bad, maybe even worse, as having that Ziodyne engulfing his body. "R-Rise?!" Yosuke called out, bolting straight for where the navigator was stationed at.

_"I-I'm fine, Naoto-kun's got me and Shinra-sensei covered. Don't worry about us, go help Yukiko-senpai out!"_

Yosuke hesitated, and halted straight in his steps before yelling out an acknowledgement and turning for Yukiko instead. If this Shadow really did know them inside-out from the sucking blood incident, it was probably for the best that Naoto stayed with Rise to ensure that their support wasn't completely left open for the enemy to strike. Since Naoto didn't get attacked by the flea Shadows, and she didn't have any weaknesses for the enemy to exploit anyway, Yosuke trusted that she would be able to effectively protect Rise from any immediate danger.

Thankfully, Amagi wasn't that far away, and the Shadow didn't look like it was about to make its next move just yet, so Yosuke tossed it a quick Garudyne and took this chance to regroup with his kouhai and Kishitani. To his suspicion, however, the berserk Shadow simply shrugged the gust of wind off like it was nothing, and yet remained where it was: hovering right below the canopy and staring at them, unmoving.

Almost like it was...observing them.

"It's watching us," Naoto said, affirming that suspicion. It seemed that Yukiko thought so too, and Rise agreed, though she couldn't say for sure if they were right about that.

"The question is, why?" Yosuke wondered. "Up until just a moment ago, it was firing off attacks non-stop."

"It probably has something to do with this 'game' it was talking about," Yukiko suggested. She was trying her best not to show that she was trembling, which Yosuke knew wasn't from the natural cold of this labyrinth. "Speaking of which, it hasn't gone around to explaining it yet, has it?"

"Not unless it talks with its spells. Though it's not like that explains much, either," Yosuke said in a mildly joking manner.

Naoto, however, had a different opinion. She brought a contemplative finger to her chin, keeping her eyes on Orihara's Shadow. "Amagi-senpai has a point. As you all may recall, the Shadow mentioned that it was going to 'commence Round Two' in order to introduce its concept of a game to us. If that elaborate scheme to set up a fortress around this Niflheim and inflict Orihara-san with Apathy Syndrome was merely a part of its game, then we can't dismiss any of its actions as pointless too easily."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he's actually thinking of a plan to escape," said Shinra, pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. When asked what he had meant by that, he elaborated, "Roppi-kun did say something about leaving this place, and he seemed intent on getting Teddie-kun to help him with that, too. My guess would be that he's still keen on that idea, but since you're in his way..."

"I see. That sounds like the most probable explanation for its behaviour," Naoto noted with a brief nod, glancing in the Shadow's direction. "We should keep that in mind as we plan our next move."

"Okay, but you gotta act fast. I'm picking up something from it. I think it's..." Rise paused, and then she raised her voice, "What the— It's charging up for an attack!"

"Shit, was it listening in on us? The timing's way too convenient if you ask me," Yosuke said, preparing to go on the defensive.

"No time for thinking about that! Brace yourselves, guys, Mabufudyne incoming!"

Amagi didn't have to be told to raise her fan and shield herself from the block of ice forming around her body. Yosuke and Naoto were about to do the same, when they realised that Rise and Shinra were left in the open and no means to protect themselves from the human-sized ice block that had them encased.

Just as the ice was about to shatter, Yosuke wasted no time in calling out for his Persona. Almost simultaneously, Naoto summoned hers as well, and hurriedly told Rise to get both her and Shinra to safety, before firing a quick Agidyne that hit precisely at the moment of the Bufudyne's breaking. She clutched her right ribcage and almost collapsed forward, but willed herself to stand straight, and ended up wobbling on her feet. Yosuke, having been equally stricken by the attack, coughed and choked on his own breath, and Susano-O soon faded away, but not before leaving Rise and Shinra with the emergency Diarama as they teleported away from the area.

Yukiko was silent and breathless as she hurriedly called out for Amaterasu's assistance, bathing the three of them in a flash of warm light and returning Yosuke and Naoto their much needed stamina. The look on her face was something Yosuke had grown used to seeing, and that alone made his heart sink.

"Hey, look, Amagi—"

"I'm sorry," the manager of a family inn cut him off, lowering her head.

"It is no fault of yours, Amagi-senpai," Naoto responded, gently and quietly. "If you hadn't done that, the Shadow would've taken the window of opportunity to strike even harder. Our predicament would be far worse if that had happened."

"I... I know," Yukiko conceded, but Yosuke knew – he couldn't say he fully understood, but he did dabble a bit in healing after all – that the guilt wouldn't vanish just like that even at something a close friend had said. It made him feel even lousier than that one time he was forced to crossdress and stand before the entire student body of Yasogami High.

A memory flashed in his mind, and for a moment he was brought back to the time he and Souji were looking out the window of their apartment, noting the gloomy sky and the storm that was brewing on the horizon. He cursed himself, inwardly, for his glaring inability to hold to that promise he made with his partner.

 _"Don't lose your focus, guys! The enemy's heading straight for you!"_ Rise exclaimed, redirecting Yosuke's and his teammates' attention back to the main issue at hand.

"We'll talk about this later," Yosuke said. Though it probably wasn't her intention, Rise was right; this wasn't the time nor place for any of them to wallow in the frustration and mirth at their shortcomings. Besides, he'd been meaning to talk to his teammates, so it wasn't like he was making an empty promise, either.

Naoto did not reply at first. She swiftly checked her gun, then aimed it at the Shadow flying towards them. "Alright. At your word, Hanamura-senpai."

Yosuke nearly dropped his knives. "Wha... Me?"

He turned to Yukiko, with some hope that she was as puzzled as he was, but instead he found a rejuvenated Amagi who was already in her usual position, Persona card was floating in front of her. "We're ready when you are."

"Uh, huh? Wait, why me?"

_"Hurry up, Yosuke-senpai!"_

"O-okay, right, right," Yosuke stammered, shaking his head. There had to be some reason why they were all in sync with each other on this, he'd have to ask them later. He fleetingly wondered if it was just a girl thing, before he ordered with more certainty, "Amagi, burn the Shadow to crisp! Naoto, try a Garudyne! I'll see if physical attacks work on it."

Being the fastest of the three of them, Yosuke was able to summon his Persona and land a Brave Blade on the Shadow before Yukiko's fire and Naoto's wind struck it as well. The flurry of attacks and spells created a dust cloud that engulfed the Shadow's body, but when it cleared at the gust of the Shadow's wings, they found that it was still mostly unscathed.

"Does... Does it nullify our attacks?" Yukiko said.

 _"According to my scans, it does resist Fire, but it should be taking normal damage from Physical and Wind,"_ Rise informed. _"But its health doesn't seem to be going down any lower."_

"What? Then what's keeping it up?" Yosuke asked.

There was a lapse in Rise's response; meanwhile the Shadow was remaining still once again, and keeping a close watch on them. _"This could just be a hunch, but... Maybe, your blood..."_

Yosuke could feel himself going a shade paler. "Ugh, don't tell me it actually drained our blood to give its own health a boost. That's just...wrong. And playing dirty."

 _"Not when there's no rule stipulating that it is,"_ the Shadow spoke cheerily, sounding a bit too pleased about what it did.

"Oh, you're finally speaking," Yukiko said, though she was genuinely surprised about it. If it had been Yosuke, he would've said it in a more sarcastic tone.

 _"Hmm...? Oh, yes. So I am."_ The Shadow gave a low, broken cackle, like he was wheezing and laughing at the same time. _"Forgive me, I must've been paying too much attention to my explanation that I had forgotten to speak."_

Naoto's eyes brightened, as though an invisible bulb above her head had lit up. "I see, so that's how it is," she said, and she went on to elaborate before anyone could ask her to, "I had been wondering how this 'Round Two' was supposed to be a follow-up from the previous round, but after listening to what you said, it's all starting to come together. First, you allowed us to traverse the fortress that kept this place – the heart of the reflection of Orihara-san's thoughts – hidden and inaccessible. And in there, we were restricted in our use of certain items and blocked off from our support, and you trapped us while you set the fortress on fire, forcing us to participate in your game. In other words, 'Round One' referred to a game with a particular set of rules that had to be obeyed in order to make progress."

Though the Shadow did not indicate any sort of confirmation, and simply maintained a silent smirk, Yosuke and the others took it as a sign that Naoto was on the right track. "So, with the way this guy has been spamming attacks and making use of dirty tricks, that means Round Two is referring to a game where literally anything goes," Yosuke inferred, to which Naoto nodded.

"I suspect that to be the case, especially when it's supported by something you said earlier," the young detective said, looking in the Shadow's direction. "When Seta-senpai once asked you what the rules of the game were, you merely mentioned that it was to ‘have fun'. That seemed to suggest that there weren't any particular rules when in fact we were still in Round One at that time. To put it simply, in the end you intended for us to meet you here in this forest to continue with your game, not at the fortress back then."

The Shadow's shoulders shook and the chains wrapped around it chimed as the edges of its stitched up lips reached the bottom of its hollow eye sockets. _"You're as sharp as ever, Naoto-chan. Splendid deduction as always. I'd give you a prize, but you haven't quite answered my question."_

Naoto didn't seem to be in the mood to humour it, but she did nonetheless. "A game...isn't simply an activity for participants to draw fun and enjoyment from. It has a system of rules that participants must follow, whether they agree to it or not. And this system is subject to any changes that the designer sees fit and the participants must still abide by."

 _"And doesn't_ that _sound familiar to all of you?"_ The Shadow broadened its wings, as though they were a substitute for its bound arms, and gave a strong flap to keep itself airborne. _"Yes, that's right. That's life, isn't it? Everyone has their share of ups and downs in their everyday lives, but regardless of what they face, life still goes on, right? There's no arguing or bargaining with what’s handed to you. You either take matters into your hands to try to change the outcome, or you don't and you hope things tide over for you. It's a gamble no matter which you choose."_

Yosuke rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh... We haven't even said anything," was all he could reply. He had to admit, the Shadow had a point there. So much so, that it almost felt like Yosuke was listening to a real person speak, and not some manifestation of pent-up thoughts and feelings gone crazy. Hachimenroppi fitted that better.

"Wait," Yukiko spoke. "Are you trying to say that Orihara-san feels like reality is holding him back? That he's taking a gamble with some problem reality has posed him with?"

 _"Heh. Ironic, isn't it?"_ The Shadow's smile turned wry and bitter. _"For someone who has been instigating some of those ups and downs in other people's lives to actually be caught up in his own? And the so-called way out is to secure a ticket to some Valhalla pipe dream? It's so ridiculous, I could only keep on laughing as I gave him a taste of what he's always been wishing for."_

"That... What do you mean by that?" Naoto questioned sternly, but Yosuke knew as well as she did the only possible thing it could be referring to.

The Shadow replied with an Evil Smile.


	35. I'll Face Myself II

**Unknown time  
Raijin Elementary School**

_It was late into the afternoon, and lessons for the day were already over, but a group of students were still hanging around in their classroom. They were on duty for clean-up that day, and by the time they were done there was a huge downpour. The telephone lines were down because of that, so none of them could use the school phone to contact any of their parents, and they all ended up staying behind in school and looking for something to do until the big storm was over._

_He was one of those students, back then, and though his memories of it were mostly a blur he did remember someone randomly shouting out, "Let's play a game!"_

_Apparently, it was something that involved each person standing in one corner of the classroom, and one by one they would walk forward to one corner and tap the back of the person standing there, while saying something like "Persona, Persona, please come here". When everyone was done, they would've made one clockwise turn around the classroom._

_He got forced into it, of course. The others practically whined when he said he didn't want to, and he eventually agreed when they kept making so much noise about it._

_They played a round, and nothing in particular happened. Not that he was expecting something to, but he would've liked to think that there was a point in the game in the first place other than to eradicate boredom. Instead, they walked and said what was to be said, made a complete round, and then they remained there for a time in awkward, painful silence. The rain chose to let up, then, and soon they left for home, deciding not to talk about having played the game ever since._

_The next day, he found his brother boldly eating the last pudding in the kitchen, and a surge of strength reached the tip of his fingers._

***

**April 27, 2013  
Niflheim**

"Teddie, take care of Heiwajima-san!"

"A-aye aye, Sensei! Mm, but but, please be beary careful. It smells like a pretty strong one, and there's only three of you." Teddie bent his incredibly short legs, and held his ears down ashamedly. "If only I can help in the fighting..."

Chie made a sharp turn. "Whaddya mean, 'only three' of us? C'mon Ted, have a lil more faith," she rebutted.

Kanji gave the bear a thumbs-up. "Yeah, you just focus on keepin' Heiwajima-san away from the fight and giving us the info we need to take the Shadow down. Can't do that if you're busy fighting yourself."

"That's right, Teddie," Souji said, the earlier tension in his voice vanished without a trace. "You're helping us fight, too, that way."

"Hrng... If you all say so." Teddie still seemed a bit downcast and worried, but he perked up in less than a second, and hurriedly dragged the fallen, unconscious body of Heiwajima Shizuo along with him to a more secluded area in this part of the forest. "Okay, I'll be cheering for you from here! Good luck, and don't get too reckless, everybody!"

The three of them nodded firmly, before they fell into their usual fighting stances as the thickened aura cleared. A massive, grey-skinned figure with a muscular, unclothed upper torso towered over them. It had furry hooves as its legs, and the pelt blended with skin at the Shadow's hips. Around its burly neck was a mane of sky blue fur tainted with specks of dust and grime, and its large head bore half-lidded eyelids and a wrinkled snout that wasn't unlike that of a swine. It wore a gladiator's headgear, and golden bangles around its wrists and ankles. Long, tangled brown hair flowed past its shoulders and reached its hooves. It looked rather similar to the Minotaur Shadows, if Souji had to describe it in one sentence, with some glaring exceptions.

Souji pondered about what it meant, but didn't have the luxury of time to think of a possible answer when the large Shadow brought its clenched fists to the ground, spraying snow all over him, Chie and Kanji.

 _"I am a Shadow,"_ it said, while they hurriedly cleaned themselves up, _"the true self."_

"Let’s go," Souji ordered right at the moment the Shadow stopped speaking. As Chie got herself charged up while Kanji raised everybody's attack power, Souji inwardly flipped through the cards he had at hand and readily swapped to any Persona that had Masukukaja.

 _'Heiwajima-san,'_ he thought as he glanced in Shizuo's direction, _'we'll settle this as quickly as we can, so please... Hang in there.'_

"Sensei, watch out! Its arm—!"

"Whoa," Souji breathed, lightly stepping aside just as the fist brushed past his shoulder. Seeing it up-close made Souji realise that the Shadow's fist was as large, maybe even larger, as he was. It was a good thing he decided to go for a Masukukaja.

The fist lodged into the soil, which the Shadow freed itself from without any issue. While it was briefly distracted, Chie sent out Suzuka Gongen, the Persona's armour shining with a dazzling brilliance as it bolted forward, light saber in hand, and returned the Shadow with a fist of its own; the God Hand rained upon the Shadow's head, and just when Chie was about to give a cry of excitement at the hit, the fist flew in her direction instead.

"Satonaka-senpai!" Kanji yelled at the same time Souji did. The police trainee gasped, and for a moment Souji thought he heard a bone crack when the God Hand smashed into Chie's body.

"I-I'm okay." Chie held onto her arm, and winced. "...I think."

Kanji shook his head. "No way you can take your own powered up attack and come outta it being okay," he said, concerned for not only his senpai's well-being, but also for how he and Chie were going to fight now that their usual field of expertise had proven to be useless, even detrimental. Souji knew this because Kanji voiced it to him while he had switched to Norn and casted a Diarahan.

The solution, Souji believed, was obvious to all of them, but he knew that Chie and Kanji were waiting for him to confirm it. "We'll have to resort to spells and magic."

"Yeah, figured that'd be the case," Chie sighed. "Oh well, we'll just have to roll with it. It's not like we're completely inept at that anyway."

Souji would've nodded to show his agreement, but there was yet another matter that demanded their attention. "But our Soul Power's going to be an issue," he pointed out just as Kanji busted out a Ziodyne. The creature snarled and staggered a little, and Souji took this narrow window of opportunity to tilt his head towards the back. "Teddie, how's the health looking like?"

"Well, that lightning did chip it off a bit, so I guess it’s working," said the bear, who was standing in front of Shizuo's body with both arms outstretched.

"Good," Souji noted quietly, before turning back. The Shadow's eyes narrowed, and it gave a bestial screech at all of them. Souji tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. "Alright, everyone. Let's keep at it."

***

**Unknown time  
At a playground near Raijin Elementary School**

_Of all things, it had to be a playground. That happened to be teeming with kids his age, and possibly even younger._

_"...Why did you bring me here?" he asked, though he knew the question he should be asking was 'Why did I even let you bring me here in the first place?' Not that he would do that since it was meant for himself to answer._

_"Isn't it obvious?" The smug-looking boy next to him pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his tiny nose; that thing slipped off so often, he oughtta get himself a new, smaller pair. "To observe all forms of interactions you have with normal humans."_

_The way Kishitani said something like that so bluntly stung a bit._

_"...This is stupid, I'm going home," he snapped as he turned his feet towards the exit, kicking up some dirt and soil without meaning to as he did._

_"Ahh wait wait, don't be like that, Shizuo-kun!" The shorter boy dashed forward to block off the path. "I haven't really seen you play with the others much since getting to know you. At least give it a try?"_

_Shizuo huffed at the mere thought of that. It was bad enough this Shinra guy stuck to him like glue in school and always seemed so bubbly even when Shizuo was staying in the hospital. But now Shinra wanted him to_ play _with the other schoolkids? Who happened to be dead scared of him because of all the times his temper flared and he caused trouble? Even if Shizuo himself wanted to, there was no way the other schoolkids would._

_"Get out of the way," Shizuo said, sounding slightly irked even to himself. He wanted to shove Kishitani away before he could properly protest, but sucked in a quick breath to ease his reflexes._

_"Just once, please?" Shinra requested – no, begged – as he raised his index finger. "I promise, if you try to play with, or even just talk to, just one person other than me in this playground, I'll stop asking for your blood for one day."_

_Shizuo grumbled and raised a brow, but seriously considered it anyway. "One week," he bargained; for what the weird boy was trying to get him to do, Shizuo wanted to make sure it was worth it, which meant getting Kishitani off his back as long as he could, "and you can't talk to me during then, too."_

_"Ehhhhhhh?"_

_"Shuddup. Do we have a pinky on it or not?" Shizuo retorted, folding his arms and tapping his foot repeatedly._

_Shinra ruffled his hair, making it messier than it usually was. His specs were starting to slide off again, too. "Urrrmmf... Can't we make it three days?"_

_"A week."_

_"Awww c'mon, Shizuo-kun! Pleeeeeaaaseeeee?"_

_"No. Now shuddup," Shizuo replied without any hesitation, and stretched out his arm, bringing up his last finger. "So pinky or not?"_

_"Urgghh... Okay, okay," Shinra sighed, and locked his own last finger with Shizuo's, albeit very reluctantly, and Shizuo made sure not to bend his pinky over too much._

_With both hands now holding onto the straps of the schoolbag on his shoulders, the young brunet lazily turned back and looked across the playground. There were children going down the slides to the left, pushing each other on the swings that were on the right, rocking back and forth like nobody's business on the things that people could ride on in front of the slides, making a mess of everything in the sand pit in the corner to the swings, and playing chase and laughing all over. All of them were with their friends, Shizuo noted blandly though his grip on the straps tightened without him realising it, and so there couldn't have been a single kid whom he could talk to, let alone play with._

_It was an impossible deal from the start, and Shizuo had half the heart to back out of it, if not for the fact that he had his pinky on it and that this was a rare chance to get his annoying classmate to leave him alone. Mostly the pinky._

_"Hey, Shizuo-kun," Shinra said, nudging him on the arm before tilting his head towards the top of the slides. "Look. There's someone up there."_

_Shizuo gave a dry hum as he looked in the direction Shinra was pointing at. Sure enough, there was a kid up there who was sitting on the sheltered metal platform and hugging his knees close to his chest. He had short midnight black hair, and reddish brown eyes that barely blinked. He also had an ashy gray pullover on that looked a little too big for him, and khaki shorts that reached his kneecaps. The small-looking boy didn't move an inch, and was a complete contrast to the mess that was going on around him, even as other kids came by and went as they climbed up for and went down the slides._

_"Hmm, how peculiar," Shinra commented. "Isn't a playground a place where you have some fun together with your friends? What's he doing there all alone, then?"_

_"Maybe he's feelin' bad and wants to sit out?" Shizuo suggested._

_Shinra didn't seem convinced of that, but smiled cheerfully anyway, and said, "Maybe he can be your new friend."_

_Shizuo rolled his eyes._

_"Oh come now, you never know," Shinra encouraged, though Shizuo was feeling anything but. The bespectacled boy patted Shizuo's schoolbag, as though he were trying to gently push Shizuo by the back to walk and climb up to meet the person who was sitting alone. "He seems alright, right?"_

_Shizuo would've retorted, if Shinra had been completely off the mark on that. But when Shizuo stole another glance at the other boy at the top of the slides, he thought that perhaps Shinra wasn't entirely wrong in saying that. The smaller black-haired boy looked like the quiet sort, at least. Shizuo could handle a quiet boy. After all, if Shizuo could deal with someone like Shinra, he could deal with this black-haired kid no sweat._

_Without answering Shinra, the brown-haired boy headed for the steps along the wall, and climbed onto the platform. He tried not to pay attention to the other children, who were quick to notice his presence and run to the other corners of the playground._

_"Hey," Shizuo said, bending down. The other boy turned in his direction, but only very slightly, and blinked once before turning back. Shizuo lightly scratched his cheek. "Uh, why are you here all by yourself?"_

_"...By myself?" the raven parroted, in a manner that wasn't as softspoken as Shizuo had initially expected. His voice was smooth, however, and of a pitch that was even higher than most boys at this age. Not by much, of course, since most boys already happened to sound like girls anyway, so Shizuo couldn't use that to describe the other kid's voice._

_The smaller boy rested his right cheek against his knees, which he tucked in even tighter as he darted Shizuo a piercing, curious gaze. "Is that how it looks like to you?" he asked._

_Shizuo shrugged. "Is there anyone else sitting with ya?"_

_"I see. That's one way of looking at it." The black-haired boy lifted his head and redirected that gaze back to the playground, which Shizuo hadn’t realised had gone deathly quiet. "Well, I should get going. Everyone looks like they're going home anyway," he said out of the blue, wasting no time in picking up his bag as he stood._

_"Eh— Ah, wait—"_

_“Hm?” The smaller of the two turned, casting Shizuo an indifferent gaze._

_Shizuo was stumped, at first. He didn’t really mean for the other kid to stay when he said that, yet those words flew out of his mouth in the end. He felt a bit stupid, to be honest, for saying something he hadn’t meant and for that person to take him seriously when there was nothing going on._

_“N-nothing," Shizuo said, looking away._

_"Is that so? Well, see you," the raven said monotonously before going down the slide, leaving Shizuo by his lonesome on the platform._

***

**April 27, 2013  
Niflheim**

Snow was being kicked around from the ground. Shriveled leaves were sent flying. Thick wisps of smoke wrapped around the berserk Shadow's colossal body that were covered with burns and fresh wounds.

Teddie raised his gloved paws to his gaping jaw as he shuddered. The fight had been going on for quite a long time – longer than the usual Shadows that went wild – and while he could tell from the smell that the damaged body was giving off that the Shadow's health was dwindling, it was still much too early for any of them to let their guard down. Chie-chan and Kanji didn't exactly have a stellar natural pool of Soul Power, and magic normally took up a significant chunk of it, leaving them drained and exhausted. And though Sensei had a lot more Soul Power, he had to fill in the holes that Chie-chan and Kanji couldn't, which meant Sensei had to juggle between healing, supporting, and attacking all at once. Even for Sensei, that might be expecting a bit too much.

But Teddie had faith in him. This was the same person who made a promise with a complete stranger to restore peace to an unknown world the stranger lived in. Souji had no obligations to do so whatsoever, but he did so anyway, and had the power to see it through to the very end, even before an otherworldly figure that was worshipped as a deity, a goddess. Teddie knew it wasn't only because of the promise, but Sensei always took it upon himself to do the things nobody else could. His heart was vast and strong that way, and that heart reached Teddie in the murky times the former Shadow was waddling through aimlessly, hopelessly, when Nana-chan was in the hospital and he recovered his memories.

So, even though it was expecting too much from Sensei, Teddie had unwavering faith in him. If it'd really come down to him depleting all the Soul Power he had, then Teddie would burst in with Kamui and support Sensei with all the bear might he had.

"Keep going, everybody! You can do it!" Teddie exclaimed, cupping his paws around his mouth.

It wasn't just for Sensei. It was also for Chie-chan and Kanji, his friends. And also for Shizuo. Though Teddie couldn't say it with confidence, he had a rough idea of the problems Shizuo was going through. There once was something he was trying to avert his eyes from, or maybe he didn't even know he was doing that, and now was the time to face it. To look at it straight, and think carefully about what it was trying to tell him. Like with his own Shadow, Teddie was genuinely confused about what it had been talking about, until his memories returned to him. Shizuo was probably the same.

"...Ngh..."

"Wh-whoa?" Teddie made a spin so rapid he nearly lost his balance. The blond, who was supposed to be unconscious, was making small but noticeable shifts, his fingers twitching and his brows swinging between relaxed and furrowed. Teddie's eyes twinkled, and he made another spin back, jumping up and down. "You're almost there! Give it all you've got!"

"H-huh? But, the Shadow doesn't look like it's..."

"Shizuo is about to wake up!" Teddie informed just as Chie trailed off. The knowledge of this would give Sensei and the others an even greater push, Teddie was certain of this.

"We're close," Souji breathed. Teddie noticed the beads of sweat rolling down his temples, and the white puffs that escaped his lips with every pant. Kanji wordlessly tossed him a Chewing Soul from his waist pouch, left over from their previous experience when they were on the search for the murderer, and Souji caught and swallowed it with a grateful nod of acknowledgement.

The Shadow chose that moment to recover from the burning cold of a Mind Charged Agidyne under the effect of a Tarukaja, and, with a yell that sent the fur on Teddie's body standing at its ends, took a leap into the air. It burst through the canopy, leaving a gaping hole where the light of the winter sun gradually poured in. The shadow of the Minotaur-like beast formed its shape on the snow, and steadily grew smaller until it could no longer be seen.

"Hey, what the— Where'd it go?" Kanji said, running to the spot where the Shadow used to be. He looked up through the hole in the canopy, but from his lack of reaction, he probably didn't see the Shadow anywhere.

Teddie pursed his lips. Before Sensei or anyone else could ask, he directed his nose towards the hole and took a deep breath. The normally overwhelmingly rusty smell that could only be associated with a massive collection of Shadows gone wild was growing faint at a shocking pace, but there was no mistaking the killing intent that continued to pierce the air, weak as it might be from the fight that had been going on earlier.

"Sensei, be careful. I can't really tell where it's gone to, but it's still around. I'm sure of it."

"...Uhh," Chie started, inching towards the circle of light that Kanji was partially blocking. "This may sound obvious, but... If it jumped up and is still nearby, then, wouldn't it have to land...?"

"Doesn't look like it'll be landing here," Kanji said, glancing at the floor. The shadow remained nowhere to be seen, but Teddie could smell the creature coming closer, surely to make the land that Chie-chan had mentioned it would. "It could be anywhere."

"That's not very reassuring," Chie replied, taking a few steps back and looking around their surroundings. Sensei did the same, but in a different spot, while making sure he didn't let go of his weapon.

"I-it's coming!" Teddie's head instantly turned to his left, guided by his nose. The smell was suddenly becoming so strong, so intense, that Teddie could only describe it as smelling the incoming weight of a fireball plummeting to the ground. He felt his eyes widen, and before he realised it, he could hear the rapid squeaks of his feet from beneath him. "Sensei, look out!"

"Eh—" was all Souji coughed out as he was forcefully shoved aside. It wasn't by Teddie's hands.

The fireball that was Shizuo's Shadow burned another hole through the canopy, and smashed into the ground. The impact gave birth to an explosion of a shockwave that sent Sensei flying into the tree nearest to him, and Teddie tumbling backwards like a bottle being rolled across the floor. The entire canopy flashed into flames, whatever leaves that had been on the trees crackling into crisps.

"Se-Sensei!" Teddie gasped, struggling to get himself back on his feet.

"Satonaka! Kanji!" Souji called out, biting on his lower lip as he pushed himself off the ground. A thin trail of blood was trickling down his jaw, and his clothes were covered in splinters of wood, but he still tried to get up, and Teddie's heart panged when he saw that.

Sensei didn't get a single reply, and neither Teddie nor Sensei needed to look to know why. Even at this distance, Teddie could hear Souji curse under his breath, and he watched as Sensei tried to summon his Persona. Sensei's hand was trembling, and about to crush the glowing card that was spinning above his palm, when the Shadow shifted.

There was smoke rising around it, and when it made the slow turn to face Souji, the horns on its crown shone and the bones in its body creaked, like the sound of Kanji cracking his knuckles. It gave a low growl, expelling even more white smoke from its lips and nostrils, and brought up another clenched fist.

Teddie wasn't good at battling, or thinking up strategies like Sensei and Nao-chan could, but he knew that there were only two things Sensei could do right now: either give it all he had into a magic attack, or revive Chie-chan or Kanji. But Teddie could tell, just one spell alone wouldn't be able to finish the Shadow off. No matter what Sensei chose to do, he'd be left in the open for the Shadow's attack, and if that happened—

"Hrrrrngh...! I can't take this anymore!" Forget about the no fighting thing – if he didn't do something when he had the power to do so, then Teddie would never forgive himself. With a determined bark, the bear let himself fall to the ground and roll towards the Shadow. "I won't let you hurt Sensei any further! Taaaaake this!"

Teddie yelled at the same time he mustered all his strength and bounced into the air and smashed Kamui's card that had materialised upon his call, slamming a Bufudyne into the Shadow. Souji was startled, at first, but quickly recovered his composure, and crushed the card in his hand as well.

Even in a tight spot like this, Teddie wanted to smile. To stand proud and tall for one of the many people he was eternally grateful to. Because even though they had been fighting alongside each other for a year or so, this was definitely, most certainly, the first time they were using their Personas in unison.

The combination of Izanagi-no-Okami's Ziodyne and Kamui's Bufudyne finally brought the Shadow to its knees.

 _"No, this isn’t… Ugh…”_ The beast breathed heavily as it collapsed over the snow. _“I... I just wanted..."_

Shizuo's other self never managed to complete that sentence.

***

**Unknown time  
At an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

_"Eh? Sorry, Shizuo-kun, could you repeat that?"_

_Shizuo narrowed his eyes slightly, but didn't turn to look in the speaker's direction._

_"...I said, that guy isn't there again today."_

_"What's this I hear? Is that Shizuo-kun's inner stalker talking? Okay okay, shutting up now."_

_Shizuo huffed, then grimaced as the living room table slipped from his fingers. Shinra, who had backed away and leaned into the corner of his sofa, slowly moved back into a proper sitting position and started examining the arm Shizuo had used to pick up the table._

_"But seriously," Kishitani started talking, in spite of what he had said earlier, "you're paying an awful lot of attention to that person, which isn't like you at all. I mean, hasn't it been a month or so since that started?"_

_"Huh," came Shizuo's reply as he frowned at his arm. He probably dislocated it again, considering he couldn't move it when Shinra asked him to. "Then I guess he won't be showing up anymore."_

_Shinra laughed. "You sound like you regret not getting to know him better. A pity I don't remember how he looked like, or I could help you look for him."_

_"Regret?" Shizuo echoed the word distractedly._

_“Yeah, isn’t that why you’re so focused on him?” Shinra blinked, and his eyes shone like he had just thought of an idea. “Come to think of it, you two had a bit of a conversation going, right? Did he say something to you? Because that’s the only reason I can think of that can explain your behaviour towards him.”_

_Shizuo thought back to that very conversation Shinra mentioned, the one that he couldn’t remember much beyond the rather embarrassing thing he had done before the black-haired kid left._

_"Nah, it's just that I had no idea what to say to him."_

_“Well, what did he say that got you tongue-tied?” Shinra asked, poking the red, swollen area around Shizuo’s elbow._

_“I dunno, something I don't get. Stop it,” Shizuo said, slapping Kishitani’s hand away. The bespectacled boy went on to poke Shizuo’s shoulder instead, and didn’t stop until he noticed the glare coming from his classmate._

_“Ahh ahaha, and therein lies your answer,” Shinra said, raising both hands._

_"Huh? Whaddya mean?"_

_"You're curious about him," Shinra answered with a proud smile._

_"Huh, I am?"_

_"That's right. He said something you don't understand, and that's why you're still mulling over it."_

_"Oh, so that's it."_

_"......Eh? No other comment?"_

_Shizuo blinked. "Huh? What else am I supposed to say?"_

_"Aren't you going to discuss about it? Ask for advice on what to say if you do get to see him again?"_

_Shizuo's nose wrinkled. "Advice? From you?"_

_"Hey, I really might be able to help you with that," Shinra said, sounding sincere for once._

_The young Shizuo, however, shook his head once after considering that. "It's fine. I don't wanna create any trouble."_

_"Hmm, but you never know, that person might be alright with it," Shinra replied, knowing exactly what Shizuo had meant._

_That possibility made Shizuo feel...lighter, somehow. Like there was something pressing against his shoulders, and that something got taken away. But at the same time, there was a certain kind of emptiness clouding his heart. A feeling that the possibility was simply just that – a possibility, and not a fact. It was something he realised, but it was only when Shinra voiced it that he realised that he realised it._

_"...I dunno," Shizuo said._

_"Have a bit more faith in yourself, Shizuo-kun. I mean, look at me. You threaten me all the time and I'm still hanging out with you."_

_Shizuo's eyes narrowed in an unimpressed fashion. "That's 'cuz you're a weirdo. And who's hanging out with who, seriously?"_

_"Ah, now that's mean," Shinra said, though he sounded anything but offended. "Anyway, my point is, you don't really know until you get to know the other person better. But even then, you have to believe that things will work out in the end. Just like my feelings for my darling! She might not return them now, but I'm sure she'll be touched by my perseverance someday."_

_Sometimes Shizuo doubted his classmate was eleven years old._

_"Well," Shinra continued, "of course I'm not implying that you're in love. But regardless, all relationships start out the same way: by communication. The fact that you're still curious about him means that you're interested in where your relationship with him will go. I can't say for sure if he feels the same way, but that's the whole idea of making friends, right?"_

_"...Friends," Shizuo murmured, to which Shinra nodded enthusiastically._

_"Yes. Friends. As my darling always tells me, you'd be better off with some."_

_Shizuo thought about who exactly Shinra's "darling" was talking about, and part of him knew the answer. He didn't feel like arguing with Shinra at this point, however. And even though Shinra's "darling" didn't mean him exactly, Shizuo felt that what she said probably applied to him too, in a way._

_In the end, Shizuo merely shrugged using his one good shoulder, and allowed Shinra to carry on with his examination of Shizuo's arm as he fell silent and stared out the window, pondering about the conversation he just had with his classmate – as well as the boy who disappeared without a trace._

_'Friends...huh?' The fingers on his uninjured arm curled into his palm. 'Can I really...?'_

***

**April 27, 2013  
Niflheim **

"—jima-san? Heiwajima-san, are you awake?"

Blinking rapidly into a reality of white, Shizuo groggily shook his head. It felt heavy, and that was...pretty strange, since there weren't many things that he could honestly call "heavy", and most of those were lost in his memories as a young child before he came to gaining this power.

...No, that wasn't right.

"Heiwajima-san, are you awake?" Seta had to repeat that question for Shizuo to realise where he was, and the former bartender grunted as he slowly sat upright.

Shizuo looked around, and all he saw were signs of destruction. Of an exhausting fight that had taken place between a monster and a couple of children who had the means of defeating it. There was a large dent in the ground with clear charred marks and small spots of dried blood, and the snow was sprayed all over the place. Some of the tree barks were chipped off, and the canopy that was once packed with snow-capped leaves and branches was now hollowed out. The kids themselves were littered with bluish black spots and blood on their jaws and dirt on their torn winter clothing. And when Shizuo thought about who they had done this for, he could feel the butterflies raging against his chest again, their wings like claws brushing against his heart.

Yet, despite that, or perhaps because of that, Heiwajima Shizuo chuckled. "...I'm weak," he said, softly at first before he raised his head to the plain sky and said, louder this time, "Ahhh ahhh... I always knew that, but I never really told anyone about it. Always wanted to, but didn't. Just kept it to myself. That I'm weak."

The grey-haired kid smiled, a reassuring one. "Everyone feels that way at some point," he said. "But not everyone realises that their strength lies in the fact that they can change."

“Change, huh?” Shizuo returned the smile, but with a hint of wryness. "…That reminds me, I remembered some things." He paused to get back on his feet, and slid his hands in his pockets as he turned in the direction of his doppelganger – his Shadow, clad in not the bartender outfit, nor the glasses, but a long priestly robe and gloves and pants and boots of silver, with the pale blue scarf hanging down from his neck. Shizuo had a vague memory of that, from reading all those stories about vampire hunters and the like when he heard about one of Kasuka's movie roles. Shizuo thought of them as noble and courageous, willing to use all the knowledge and power they had to exterminate the blood-sucking monsters that plagued the villages despite the stakes involved, no matter how long it would take. A part of him wished, then, to be someone like that, but mostly for someone to come and exterminate the monster in him.

"A lot of things, actually," Shizuo said, heaving a sigh at the same time.

"Do you regret them?" Satonaka asked.

Shizuo couldn't help but chuckle again, upon hearing that familiar word. "Something like that," he answered. "Like I remembered, ahh there's actually a lot of things I could've done, y'know? It's not like I didn't have the chance. That has always been there. But I've always... Always been too scared to take it."

And there, he said it. He had finally said it. What he knew had been true all along, but he never told anyone – not even Celty, not even his brother – and now, he felt like he could finally say it. He never denied it outright, but now he knew, not saying it was the same as not admitting it, and that created the person who was standing before him right now.

"I have a loving family," Shizuo said, knowing now that he had to get this right. "No trauma or anything when I was a kid. Nobody bullied me in school. And then I suddenly turn out like this. With this...power. The power that makes everyone shun and fear me, and the power that makes me stay away from everyone else." Shizuo held up a hand, and looked at his palm. "Since it couldn't have been my surroundings or the environment I was brought up in, I thought: it must be me, then. It's my own fault I got this power. I'm the one that's not normal."

When Shizuo looked up into his Shadow's eyes, he noticed they were shimmering. The kids remained silent as Shizuo continued, "Well, 'course I'm not okay with that. But, I thought, it's not for me to decide to get rid of it. I never wanted this power, but I have it, and that's something I can't change. So, I got some tips on dealing with it. Like dyeing my hair blond to warn other people to stay away from me. That way, I can protect them. From myself."

"But, that's..." Satonaka couldn't finish what she wanted to say, and redirected her gaze to the floor.

"It worked, though," Shizuo said, feeling a bit proud about his senpai's advice. "I already stand out anyway, so it doesn't really matter. It helped a lot. Less people tried to piss me off, at least. And the less people who get close to me, the better."

"...Doesn't that make you feel lonely?" Seta said. Shizuo had a feeling he didn't mean it as a question.

"Guess it does," Shizuo replied honestly. He didn't really register loneliness all that much, mostly because he didn't allow himself to dwell deep in it. Nevertheless, there was always some sort of barrier between himself and the world around him that Shizuo was all too aware of. "But it can't be helped. It was the only thing I can think of."

"Not anymore, though. Right?" the kid named Tatsumi said, flashing him a kind and gentle, yet strong and confident, grin. He looked like he still wanted to say more, but he left it at that.

"...Yeah," Shizuo said, and all the mirth in his smile evaporated. "I think, at some point, or maybe all this while, I started wondering about whether I can put this power of mine to some use. It was probably the thing with the Slasher that got me thinking. 'Cuz for once, my power actually listened to me." Here he paused, and made sure to face his Shadow. "I’d always wanted to grow strong… Strong enough to contain my anger, this power. So...yeah. It felt...right, back then. Like I was finally strong enough to have it listen to me.”

To his surprise, his Shadow nodded, and it even spoke for him, putting his jumbled up thoughts into the words Shizuo wanted, but failed, to find. "At that time, I started entertaining the possibility of using the power I was born with for a greater purpose. Rather than keep it bottled up and letting it explode when somebody crosses me, I want to be able to use it freely. So that I can use it to protect. To protect without apprehension, fear, and doubt..."

There wasn't a need to clarify if the Shadow was telling the truth, so Shizuo made no comment, and instead elaborated from where his Shadow left off, "I want to give this power of mine a meaning. That's why, I thought about a lot of things I can do if I ever need to use it."

"Ohh, so that's where the protecting the town thing comes in," Teddie said.

Shizuo scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, but that kinda...got a little out of hand. I mean, yeah, it's true I wanna protect 'Bukuro. It's my home, after all. But I guess, I dunno how far I'd go to do it. Like...with Izaya." Shizuo lowered his head slightly. Talking about things he didn't normally consciously think about made his throat all tangled. "That flea's trouble. Always messes with people, stirs up tons of shit in the town, makes me use the power I hate so much. Even tried to pin some crimes on me when I didn't even do anything. When all I wanted, all I want, is to live in peace. With the town, with my family...even with this power I never wanted."

"Ah," the bear let slip a gasp of surprise and sudden understanding, as if something had clicked in his mind. Shizuo decided against probing what it could be.

"...Everyone wants to live at peace with themselves. That's why we're always searchin' for a way to achieve that. But...that ain't easy on your own," Tatsumi said, and this was probably what he wanted to tell Shizuo earlier. Maybe he was just looking for the right time to say it, and when he thought about that, Shizuo realised that the two of them were probably rather similar in that regard.

Shizuo agreed quietly as Kasuka and Celty's faces surfaced in his mind. Then Tom-san's and Vorona's, Shinra's and Simon's, even Mairu’s and Kururi’s…"That's why I'm grateful to a lot of people. And that's why I have to protect them in return. Can't let them be in any danger or trouble. They helped me out in a lotta ways, so I gotta return the favour. So if I could use my power to do that...well, that sounds perfect, right?"

Then, the smile on Shizuo's face gradually disappeared. "But I'm...scared. Of myself, of not being able to understand how to use and control it. I always never carry out my threats to the flea, but if it ever comes down to it and he really, really, really crosses the line... Then, I think I might really kill him.”

He didn't mince nor sugarcoat his words. Shizuo wasn't the kind of person who toned things down. Either he'd say it, or he won't. If people didn't ask him, then he'd choose the latter. He wasn't sure himself if he would really do it, though, but he felt that he might, and so he said so, no matter how uncomfortable that made him feel.

"Oh, so that's what the Shadow...meant..." Satonaka trailed off as she let the pieces come together. "I...think I get it now. Why Tsugaru-san asked that question, why your Shadow said all those things... But you know what, Heiwajima-san?" She flashed him a comforting smile. "It doesn't really matter."

"...Huh?" Shizuo breathed.

"What Satonaka-senpai said," Tatsumi agreed. "That kinda stuff can be found in all of us, and there may be times when we feel like we're justified in doing it. But the real important thing? That we also have it in us to not do it. The both of 'em together – that's what makes us human, ain't it?"

"…Human..." Shizuo murmured, and he thought back to what Hibiya said.

"That strength you've been thinking about, and that strength you've been wishing to have... It's already inside you," Satonaka said. "Wanting to protect, to use the power you have in the right way, and also to connect with other people even though you're worried... Sure, to take that first step might be really scary, but you don't have to go through it alone."

"You have people who care about you," Seta said, and somehow it felt like Shizuo had heard that from somewhere before all this happened.

Shizuo was silent for a moment, before another chuckle that soon escalated into a liberating laugh escaped his lips. He had been wondering before, but now he knew: this was why those kids could be so close. Closer than any group of friends he had seen before. It wasn't because they had the same kind of power – the thing with the Personas – and it wasn't because they were fighting for the same cause.

It was because they had all gone through the same thing, and so they didn't judge each other – or anyone – for their weaknesses.

Their weaknesses was what gave them their strength.

If it wasn't for them coming here, if it wasn't for that murder and TV thing happening, Shizuo might've just settled with the thought that he didn't and wouldn't have anyone like that. But that wasn't true. That wasn't true at all, and he felt like an idiot for not believing in it all this while.

"...I remembered," Shizuo spoke once his laughter eased, "a bit of a talk I once had with Shinra. He said to have more faith in myself. That all relationships started with communication."

While the others seemed a bit puzzled at this, Seta was the only one whose smile remained, and he said, as understanding and patient as ever, "But Heiwajima-san knows now that that's not all, right?"

Shizuo simply gave a small, barely noticeable nod, and then he slowly shifted to see his own face staring back at him. "I wanted a reason," Shizuo muttered, meant mostly for himself and his doppelganger to hear as he started taking a few steps forward. His Shadow didn't move an inch, and only kept his golden eyes glued to Shizuo, without any hostility or condescension. "I remember now, what happened back then. I wanted a reason, and maybe I once thought that was it. But...it's not."

The Shadow raised his head slightly.

"Whether that happened or not, I think I would've gotten this power anyway." Shizuo shook his head. "...Nah, that's not right. I've always had it, it just so happened that it got stirred up after that."

And, really, that was most likely it. Thinking about it, maybe the Malevolent Entity or whoever the hell it was deliberately tried to mess with his mind by making him remember this. Or more like, pay more attention to certain details to force him to coin these things together and make a false picture of what happened. That bastard.

"But I didn't want to deal with it," Shizuo continued, just as quietly. "I didn't want to deal with something I didn't ask for, and I didn’t know how to deal with something I didn’t ask for. But I have to live with it. With you. I mean, that's something I have to do. Because you're a part of me."

Yellow eyes dulled and glazed over.

"Someone said he once thought of me as human. Dunno when that was, but he did." Shizuo tilted his head back and peered through the absent canopy. "I know he doesn't think that way now, but actually...it doesn't really matter. Doesn't matter who it is, or what they say. As long as I've been loved, even just once, or by things that aren't really human... As long as there's someone who can accept me and this power, then I can do that too."

Shizuo lowered his head and looked straight at his Shadow, and grinned. "I knew that. Knew that all along. Just didn't believe in it much, didn't know what to do or what it really means to accept myself. But, now I can say it. I'm weak. Thought I could deal with this on my own, but turns out I've always needed other people with me. And I always will. Even for things like thinking for myself, and the future, I've always needed someone to help me get started. I'm scared, yeah... But I don't hafta be."

Small blue particles started pouring out from the Shadow, who had a sincere smile on his face as he gave a slow, but approving, nod. Then, a flash of blue light swallowed up the dark aura that had surrounded his body, and when it cleared Shizuo found himself looking up to a translucent figure hovering above where the Shadow used to be standing.

He was clad in an ancient fabric, a tunic that had the same colour as the sand, with some thin, dull grey plates of armour over his chest and arms. He wore a red belt around his waist, and the tunic ended before his knees which were fully exposed, and on his feet he wore old-looking sandals. Attached to his chest plate was a long and tattered white cape that flowed behind him like it was swaying with the cool winter breeze. The figure's wax-like skin had a healthy tan, and his unkempt auburn hair reached his shapely shoulders, with an off-white cloth wrapped around his forehead like a headband. His eyes were closed, and his lips, pursed together. In his right arm was an ordinary-looking spear, the pole made of bark and the tip, of polished metal.

With a soft shattering sound, the figure faded away, and in his place was a card bathed in bluish white light. It spun as it floated down before Shizuo's eyes, which caught a blurred image of a stick figure with long hair stroking a shadowy beast, before the card itself dissipated and Shizuo could feel an alien, yet comforting, sense of warmth enveloping him.

"Cu Chulainn," the name slipped out from Shizuo's lips. He didn't know where it had come from, and how he had learnt that figure's name, but when he instinctively reached deeper into himself he could feel the different parts of him swimming about and fusing into the warm core of mysterious power, whispering and murmuring things that only Shizuo could hear.

The edges of Shizuo's lips curled into a knowing, serene smile. _'...So that's where you all went,'_ he mused.

"You did it, Heiwajima-san," Tatsumi said, stepping a little closer along with his companions.

"...Yeah," was all Shizuo could say, before he remembered to add, "Thanks. For, uh, pretty much everything."

"Aw, shucks, no need for that. That's what we do," Satonaka said, cheeks turning a little rosy.

"The self-proclaimed Investigation Team is always at your service!" Teddie exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"...Uh, you didn't need to add the 'self-proclaimed' thing," Tatsumi said as he looked to the bear. Teddie gave a sheepish chuckle, followed by Satonaka and Seta, which caused Tatsumi to glance away a bit and rub the back of his head.

_"Oh! Senpai, are you all alright?"_

The voice that Shizuo had recognised to have belonged to the girl named Kujikawa suddenly rang through the area.

"Ah, Rise. Thank goodness to hear from you again," Seta said, looking in Kujikawa's supposed direction.

 _"Aww, Senpai, were you worried about me?"_ Rise giggled, before her tone turned slightly less light-hearted. _"Seriously though, where have you been? The rest of us at least managed to meet up again. You had me all worried."_

"Sorry about that," Seta apologised, without offering any further explanation. Instead, he changed the subject. "I heard from Satonaka and Kanji. Not much, but enough to get an idea of what's going on. How are things on your end?"

 _"Well, we— Oh?"_ Kujikawa paused momentarily. _"W-wow, what is this feeling...?"_

"Huh? What's the matter?" Satonaka said.

_"Ah, nothing, it's just... Is that Heiwajima-san's Persona I'm sensing?"_

"Uh, me?" Shizuo said, still trying to figure out how this telepathic-not-telepathic communication thing worked.

 _"...I'm positive! It's Heiwajima-san!"_ Kujikawa exclaimed. _"Wow, so that's your Persona. It's incredible. All that power streaming out from it... It's making me feel a little dizzy."_

"Uh, sorry about that.”

 _"Huh? Oh, no, I meant it as a compliment, not that it's really making me dizzy or anything,"_ Rise clarified, and Shizuo felt a tad bit embarrassed for the misunderstanding. _"Anyway, Senpai, all of you need to come over quick! Something really amazing happened earlier during our fight with Orihara-san's Shadow."_

"What happened? Nobody got hurt, right?" Seta asked.

 _"Everyone's fine for the most part. We did get by with some really close shaves, though, but it's really nothing to be worried about."_ Kujikawa then raised her voice slightly. _"I'll explain more on the way, but you all should try coming over as soon as you can. At this rate, Shinra-sensei's over-enthusiasm is about to make Naoto-kun flip. Yosuke-senpai, Yukiko-senpai and even Celty-san are having trouble getting him to calm down. It's kinda funny, actually."_

Shizuo blinked. “Celty’s here?”

_“Oh yeah, and she’s brought along a friend, too. Even I don’t really know all the details, though… But she said she’ll tell us everything when we get back.”_

"H-huh? Wait, whazzat about Naoto? I-is she okay?" Tatsumi spoke.

_"Well, other than being drained from the stunt she pulled earlier and having Shinra-sensei bugging her on top of that, I'd say she's doing just fine."_

"That's, uh, that doesn't sound like she's fine at all..." Shizuo was inclined to agree with Kanji there; nobody could be fine from being pestered by Shinra.

"C'mon, Rise-chan, don't keep us in suspense! What happened to Nao-chan?" Teddie said.

 _"Something really amazing,"_ Rise repeated, almost sounding like she was out of breath. _"Her Persona... It's changed.”_


	36. I'll Face Myself III

**April 27, 2013  
Ikebukuro Hospital**

"...Well. I see that you are awake."

Catching a glimpse and relishing in the fear that flashed across those half-dead chocolate brown eyes, the person who had spoken slid the door to the ward close. They were dressed in an oversized grey turtleneck, baggy black pants, and a black baseball cap atop their head, a rather strange choice of attire.

A smirk cracked on the person's face as they slowly walked to the side of the hospital bed, where a young girl – not looking any older than any ordinary high school girl – lied. She had a slightly unhealthy tinge to her skin, particularly her face, and there was a professionally plastered, clean bandage on her neck, concealing a hideous wound and an equally horrendous scar, the knowledge of which made the visitor spit out a dark chuckle.

"How is that going for you? Are you recovering well? Can you swallow and drink?" the person asked, not sounding the slightest bit concerned for the girl's welfare. As though already tired of the charade that they hadn't even tried to put up, the person's face fell into a scowl. "You shouldn't even be alive...if only I had ordered for you to be killed instead. I knew I should've done that. Why are you alive, when Seiji is..."

The brunet could only blink back rapidly. Then she looked to the desk by her bedside, and did not hesitate to reach out and pick up the pen and notebook that had been placed there. Her fingers were trembling as she wrote on the paper.

 _Who are you?_ The message read.

"Nobody you should concern yourself with any longer." The figure folded their arms. "After all, you're no longer connected to me in any way."

The young girl peered into the stranger's eyes, which were shadowed by the tip of the baseball cap, and then flipped to the next page in the notebook and wrote: _Are you...a relative of Seiji-san?_

"Just a 'relative'?" The visitor's nose wrinkled. "That's quite the crude description, don't you think?"

_I'm sorry, I just thought that since you seem close to him..._

"Well then, perhaps you ought to re-evaluate that. At any rate, since it's obvious you still haven't remembered a single thing, there's no point in me staying here any longer. I can't stand you, after all."

The girl on the hospital bed recoiled, maybe because of the jibe at her amnesia, maybe because of the last remark, maybe because of the astonishingly cold way her visitor said all of it. There were a few possible reasons, and the patient herself was probably not aware of which was the most likely one explaining her reaction, and what she did right after.

_W-wait!_

Once she was done scribbling, the girl slammed the notebook against the table repeatedly just as the stranger turned and headed for the door.

The visitor clicked their tongue, and spared the hospitalised high school student a glance that was devoid of any emotion, yet piercing and intense all the same.

_Um... I don't know if it's okay for me to be asking you this, but... Are you the one who was responsible for my stay here?_

"I thought I already made that clear," the figure spat.

The girl flinched, but recovered quickly and flipped to the next page.

_You're...surprisingly blunt._

"And that concerns me, how...?"

_I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble... Can you tell me more? About Seiji-san? Somehow, I get the feeling you're trying to hide your pain, and I don't think that's very healthy, so if I can be your confidante or any form of support to you, I..._

The stranger's hand flew across the girl's cheek as the sound of the impact reverberated throughout the ward.

Following this, the stranger dressed in the oversized clothing crawled into the bed as they pinned the young patient down by pressing against her collarbone.

"...What do you even know about me?" the figure said, their voice growing a pitch lower. Their thumbs moved and started applying pressure to the bandage around the girl's neck, earning them a broken yelp. "How dare you say that in my face, acting all innocent when you're being so overconfident in your assessment of me? You don't even know about Seiji and me. You don't have a single clue about the hell you put me through. Even before all this."

As the stranger startled rambling and spilling the feelings that hadn't had an outlet like this since the day of a young man's death, the girl simply watched and listened. Now, the girl no longer flinched nor recoiled, neither did she pen down any more sympathetic words. She only kept her eyes on the pitiful-looking figure right before her who was trying to crush her neck, and listened attentively to whatever they were saying. It wasn't like she could do anything else, at any rate.

"It was you. Your existence, your fault that this happened. I saw, you know? That video clip. It caught you leaving the alley where Seiji's body was found, exactly twenty-three seconds after his death." The girl's eyes widened as the visitor laughed hollowly and pressed even harder. A patch of red was growing rapidly beneath their fingers, and the stranger looked like they delighted in that. "What 'Inaba serial murder case'... What 'killing people by pushing them into the TV'... Does he seriously think I'd buy that kind of crap? From a clearly deranged man, no less?"

The high school student whimpered, and had to close her eyes tight shut and bite and chew on her lower lip before giving into her survival instincts. She started kicking about and struggling against her prisoner's hold, shifting about and grabbing onto the wrists of the visitor's hands with a death grip, digging her nails into them. Yet the stranger was not deterred, and instead applied even more pressure, their eyes ablaze and storming, like a thick cloud brewing within those dark brown eyes.

"I'll kill him," the visitor snarled, "for giving me ridiculous information and forcing me into these ridiculous clothes and cheating me into making that ridiculous trip to Inaba, when all of these had nothing to do with Seiji. When the one responsible was _you._ He knew it, yet he sent me on that wild goose chase...!"

"...H...hel..."

The stranger, while grappling the young girl's neck, gave her a violent shake, silencing whatever little voice she had left in her. The wounded patient choked, and raised and swung an arm towards her assailant, swiping the baseball cap off in the struggle. Her eyes widened when she saw the long, brown hair pulled over and clipped onto the top of her visitor's head.

But Yagiri Namie, the former head of a pharmaceutical company remained perfectly calm in spite of her cover being blown, and seemingly did not even pay attention to the fact that the cap had been knocked off her head. Her intent was clear, and she focused on it so intensely as if her life depended on it, throwing off all things that could potentially distract her.

Which was why she eventually let go and moved off the bed, leaving the casualty panting and coughing.

"...I'll see you another day. After I'm done with that bastard, wherever he's gone to. It would definitely make my life easier if he's already dead, though."

As she said this in her usual icy tone, Namie bent down and picked up the baseball cap that had fallen to the floor, paying no heed to the coat of blood on her fingers that lightly stained the tip of the cap. Placing it atop her head, the woman turned and left the ward, and did not look back to the girl she had just lashed out on.

Harima Mika stared after the sister of someone she had once loved, and buried her face in her knees as she hugged them close to her chest.

***

**Niflheim**

In a split second and another, Naoto felt herself teleport from one world to another and back.

One moment, she was in the plain of white, confronting Orihara's Shadow, and then in the next all she saw was black. A blanket of darkness stretching even beyond her line of vision, in every direction she looked at.

There were no voices nor sounds, neither did she feel the familiar touch of her pistol in her hands. She wasn't breathing – or at least, she didn't think she was – and she couldn't sense the presence of her comrades, her friends, beside her like they had been earlier. Only blackness, and the cold from the eternal winter inside the TV world.

Before she could even come up with a coherent thought, an invisible force pulled her into a sea of images. Her heart gave a leap, and the moment the slither of shock grasped it, Naoto gasped; it felt like she had just swam up from the depths of an ocean and taking her first breath of air, and when she looked around, her eyes widened slightly.

It hadn't been a series of images, but of people in a bird's eye view. They came from all walks of life imaginable, crossing the busy streets of urban Tokyo, driving branded cars, walking to school, stopping by pubs and clubs, going to shopping malls – all at the same time, and in that vacuum that used to be occupied by nothing but darkness. Then, she felt the same inexplicable, unseen force tug her down, deep into the crowds, until she could see them clearly in her normal point of view.

Nobody had paid her any attention, and that was what took her aback. She had thought this to be the usual kind of illusions associated with the Fear spells, those that involved horribly convincing visual and auditory hallucinations, and Naoto had been mentally prepared for those, having had her share of experiences with the ailment – not that it made her feel any better, of course. But this sort of illusion...was relatively tame. A lot milder than she had been through before. In fact, it didn't feel any different from being in the real world Tokyo itself.

 _'...What could this mean?'_ The detective thought to herself, as she cautiously scanned her environment. People continued to drift by her, as though they hadn't noticed someone standing in the middle of a bustling crowd, yet nobody had bumped into her as of yet. Which, according to logic and experiences in a place teeming with people like this, should be nearly impossible. Being in the middle of a large group of people who were constantly on the move in all directions and not having even a hint of physical contact with any of them was hard to believe.

Naoto pondered further – while part of her was also wondering about how she could still remain her calm and composed self even as she was ensnared in a Fear spell – and decided to test an idea out. It didn't involve anything complicated, just potentially risky, but it was the quickest way to determine the nature of this illusion, and so she took up on it. She held her hand out, trying to reach for the person closest to her—

—and, with their eyes peeled to the front, they instantly moved away from her arm, and then returned to their original path.

As Naoto withdrew her hand in a mild startle, the scenery around her began to change again, and once more she was knocked into another world that was yet another close reflection of reality. Children now, instead of adults, were scrambling all over the place which looked like an elementary school playground, squealing with innocent joy and cheer. Everywhere Naoto looked, there would be a group of children having fun amongst themselves. Not one person appeared to be left out.

Then the familiar tug beckoned her again, this time engulfing her and pulling her into the sky. The playground and crowded crossroads appeared to shrink as Naoto had no choice but to ascend – in such a situation she could only frown, with no other way to deal with the undercurrent of frustration rising in her chest – and when the strong pull finally lifted, she found herself surrounded by towers of books. Although they appeared to be arranged neatly, there was no particular order in the way the books were stacked and placed together, with the genres, author names, and titles in a haphazard arrangement. There was not one person in sight, only one book already flipped open to the middle in front of her, on the floor she hadn't realised she had been sitting on.

 _'...Ah, I see.'_ A somewhat nostalgic look crossed Naoto's features as she leaned forward to scrutinise the book. _'No wonder this felt... Hmm?'_

The young detective stiffened. Then, after what felt like a minute had passed, she reached out and flipped the page, only to find that it was in the same condition as the page before it: empty, with no words or pictures. Nothing about the exciting adventures of famous literary detectives as they went about solving crimes and mysteries, or about criminal psychology and the like. Just a piece of blank paper that looked like it hadn't even experienced the touch of a human. The puzzle that Naoto thought had been steadily coming together collapsed, and put itself back in a different manner when she realised there had been an extraneous piece in the pile of clues and hints this illusion had been throwing at her:

The true anomaly behind this illusion had not been the fact that it did not elicit the usual fear in her, but that she had no relation to this illusion in the first place.

And if it wasn't her that this illusion had ties to, then there could only be one other person.

Naoto closed the book shut, and let her fingers linger on the hardcover until she was brought back to reality by the blaring sound of Hanamura-senpai yelling in her face.

***

"Hey Naoto, you back with us? Please say that you're back with us."

"Mm... What?" Naoto replied, still feeling in a bit of a daze.

Yosuke heaved a huge sigh of relief, and so did Yukiko, Naoto soon realised. "Oh man, thank goodness. For a moment, I thought you were gonna run on us. You were stuck in that state for pretty long."

"Run...?" Naoto tried to recall what had happened, and her mind slowly cleared. She remembered the Shadow, the smile, the people. The books. With brightened eyes back into focus, the detective turned to her high school seniors. "Senpai, what of Orihara-san's Shadow?"

"Over there," Yosuke answered, jabbing a finger in the Shadow's direction. It had fallen to the ground, body and wings sprawled over the snow, and struggling to get back up. Before Naoto could ask, Yosuke said, "Managed to land a crit on it. Miraculously. That's how I took the chance to wake you up."

"It's not going to stay like that for long, though," Yukiko added. "Its health hasn't really gone down much, either."

"Yeah, if only it had some kind of a weakness," Yosuke said, adjusting his headphones until he was satisfied with them. "At least we can keep exploiting that."

Naoto did not reply at first, until she gazed in the Shadow's direction, thought back to the things she had seen, and then a plausible plan struck her, like having a breakthrough when she was on a case.

"I thought of something that might work," she said as she reached into her coat and pulled out a small pocket mirror that was decorated with swirls and somewhat runic writing. As the Shadow gradually regained its consciousness and took to the air, Naoto handed it over in Yosuke's direction, letting the mirror fall to the ground and shatter to form a reflective barrier that encircled the brunet. "Amagi-senpai might need to use one as well."

"Eh? Ah, alright." The manager of the Amagi family inn grabbed hold of her only Magic Mirror, which she quite brusquely hurled to the ground stepped on. As a similar barrier formed around her, she looked to her right and then to her left, and noticed that her friends were staring at her. "Hm? What's wrong?"

"Well... How do I put it..." Yosuke scratched his cheek absentmindedly. "I'm pretty sure the thing would break without you crushing it like that, Amagi."

"Oh, that. I just happened to see someone do that in a soap opera the other day. Just felt like trying it," Yukiko replied with a somewhat proud smile.

"Here it comes," Naoto decided to cut in, reminding her senpai of the Shadow that was getting prepared to send another wave of attacks. With her gun in her right hand, Naoto shielded herself with her left arm as the Shadow's wings gave a violent flap.

Bolts of lightning struck the three of them at around the same time, and they all mostly got away unscathed, with the barriers reflecting the Maziodyne back towards the caster. The Shadow screeched, and Naoto had to bring up her free hand to cover her ear from the offensive noise as it fell to the ground again and curled into itself.

Yosuke and Yukiko's eyes slowly widened as their jaws dropped when they realised what had happened.

 _'...I was right,'_ Naoto almost wanted to declare that to the world, but she refrained from doing so.

 _"It's...weak to electricity?"_ came Rise's voice, who sounded more surprised than she was uncertain.

"Gah, of course," Yosuke muttered with a slap to his forehead. "It's not that it doesn't have a weakness, it's that we couldn't find it."

"That was really great thinking, Naoto-kun. How on earth did you know?" Yukiko complimented.

"H-huh? Well..." Naoto paused to reach again for her cap that was no longer there, and when she realised what force of habit was doing to her, she lightly swept away her bangs instead. "It was guesswork, really," she half-lied. It wasn't that she didn't have a reason for using the mirror, but she didn't base it on anything she considered concrete yet, and simply tried it because there wasn't any other viable alternative to finding the Shadow's weak point. Of course, now that her conjecture was steadily becoming more grounded, she could say with more confidence now, "After noticing an element of abnormality concerning the illusion the Shadow casted earlier, I thought about its relation to Orihara-san himself... Though, I didn't manage to think it through more clearly. I thought using the mirrors could help me on clarifying that. To kill two birds with one stone, if you will."

"...Wow, and you considered all of that in so little time?" Yukiko breathed, not questioning what Naoto had meant by "abnormality". It was most likely for the same reason Naoto didn't ask Yosuke about his own experience with the Fear spell Hachimenroppi struck him with.

 _"Huh, but for a Shadow to use a skill it's weak to..."_ Rise let the thought trail off before cutting herself off, _"H-hold on, that actually ate up a huge chunk of its health! Or maybe it nullified the effect the blood had on it? I can't be too sure, but in any case, I think you stand a really good chance of taking it down now!"_

"Whoa, guess it can't handle a taste of its own medicine," Yosuke teased before his expression returned to a more serious one. "But now that it's seen through Naoto's plan, I don't think we can rely on this tactic anymore. We _could_ try some Balls of Lightning, but I don't think we have enough to last us."

"Should we dive in for an all-out attack before it gets up?" Yukiko suggested. Her eyes seemed to twinkle at the mere thought of charging in to give the Shadow a good beating.

Naoto thought it sounded like a good idea – after all, they should deal the Shadow as much damage in the quickest time possible – and Yosuke agreed, as well. So, with the consensus quickly arrived at, the three of them rushed towards the fallen creature and went on quite a frenzy using their respective weapons with Kujikawa-san sending her cheers over the telepathic link. When the Shadow started showing signs of consciousness, they instantly stepped back and retreated to their usual formation as they awaited its recovery.

The winged humanoid creature was obviously disgruntled, its usual twitchy smile having completely evaporated from its rather grotesque appearance. If it had eyes, or eyelids for that matter, they probably would've narrowed to slits.

"Rules or no rules, your game's about to be over," Yosuke said, pointing a knife at the Shadow. "We're taking you down, whether you like it or not."

 _"...Don't get all cocky now,"_ the Shadow sneered, hovering at a lower altitude than it did before. _"You have no idea how much that irks me. Or, what, are you asking for me to do unto you what I did that coward?"_

"Nobody's asking for anything," Naoto retorted.

 _"Heeeehh, is that so,"_ the Shadow drawled lazily as it directed all its attention to the fifth in the Shirogane line of detectives. _"Then let me ask you this, Shirogane Naoto-chan. Why do you think I'm here right now?"_

Naoto hesitated to answer at first, suspicious of the Shadow's intentions. It could be trying to drag this out, to buy time for itself, to wear out the chances of Orihara-san ever making a recovery from his Apathy Syndrome or whatever was ailing him. On the other hand, it could simply be curious, or it could genuinely be a form of a question Orihara-san himself wanted an answer to; it was, at the end of it all, a Shadow, after all.

 _'...That's it,'_ the thought hit her. _'That's what's been bothering me... I had thought of Orihara-san's Shadow as an anomaly, one that appeared to display some form of intelligence and independence – but, ultimately it is still what it is: a Shadow. Its prowess and tact in battle, the manner in which it speaks, the constant shuffling between keeping us out and luring us in – they're all a reflection of Orihara-san in some way or another. Except...in a more honest, exposed manner.'_

With that in mind, Naoto settled on a decision which she hoped she wouldn't regret, despite Yosuke and Yukiko's light warnings as she took a step closer.

"...The same reason all of ours did," she said softly, and tried not to get caught in the memories of a child wearing a laboratory coat that didn't fit her and sobbing at the prospects of somebody abandoning her. "Rejection."

 _"Rejection, denial... They're all forms of escapism, aren't they? Wouldn't you also agree that humans are naturally capable of that, too?"_ The Shadow did not directly affirm her answer, and continued as it swayed in the air, _"When they're faced with the ugly, ugly truth about themselves, humans have a natural tendency to turn away from it and pretend it doesn't exist, despite being aware of it on some level or another. It's not just with themselves, either, but rather, humans are naturally repulsed by things they find ugly or detestable. Of course, ugliness is subjective, but the desire to stay away from something that is considered ugly is the same for all humans._

 _"Say, things like death and the like."_ The Shadow deliberately chose to pause here, and Naoto flinched as she wondered if it was delving into the crux of the matter at last. _"People don't enjoy talking about things like that, right? It scares them, the idea of death. Those who have experienced death can't possibly come back to life and tell you what it's like, so it's like an inescapable, unknown future that's out of mankind's control, and many have subscribed to the view that there's nothing left after you take your last breath. That's a few common fears rolled into one. Death really is quite the scary thing, being a representative of multiple fears at once. Won't you say so, too?"_

Naoto and her companions did not respond, and simply let the solemn monologue sink in as the Shadow continued with utmost glee, _"But say what if, to a person who never believed in the existence of a life after death, to a person who never even dared to think about his own death in the first place...something akin to proof of an afterlife's existence appears before his very eyes? Is it not a glimmer of hope to this pathetic coward? Is it not a message of sorts that this spineless excuse of a person, who chanced upon such a discovery, is fated to have the privilege to taste the heavens?_

_"To be able to live on in another world, where he can safely watch mankind for all eternity... That's what that boneless coward wished for."_

"That's... Orihara-san considered those things...?"

Naoto hadn't expected that from Izaya's Shadow. When she'd learned about what Hachimenroppi could represent from Shinra and observed and paid attention to his behaviour while conversing with him, there hadn't been a hint towards Izaya's specific fear of death at all. And yet, didn't Hibiya once claim that Hachimenroppi was their "core"? If that was truly the case, and this Shadow that was before them – the Shadow that was supposed to have been complete, with all its fragments merged back to their wholesome – then, it wouldn't be too farfetched to assume that what Naoto was touching on at the moment was likely just the surface. That the "death" the Shadow was talking about could also take on another less literal meaning. Though she would also admit that it was a simplistic way of looking at it.

She had to dig deeper. And fast.

"But that's not all there is, is there?" Naoto challenged. "Earlier you mentioned that you had 'given Orihara-san what he wished for'. I asked you what that meant, and you still haven't answered me. So do allow me to ask you once again: what exactly did you do to Orihara-san?"

"Naoto-kun..."

Naoto could sense her senpais' concern, but she couldn't let that be a reason for hesitating now. Not when she was getting closer—

—closer to solving Orihara Izaya's, under the online handle Nakura, intentions with the suicide groups case two years ago.

Closer to understanding his reasons for approaching her grandfather, for approaching _her_ , and doing the things he did.

"Please answer me," said Naoto.

The Shadow's shoulders trembled as a wave of giddying happiness and laughter spread throughout its shrivelled body. _"Exactly as it says on the lid. I sent him to a new world. Funny how that works, isn't it? He invested so much time and effort – his whole_ being _, in fact – into working towards this goal, and all that went up in smoke in the end."_

"Escapism... Death and the afterlife... And now, a new world...?" Yosuke mumbled, mostly to himself, before adding some sort comment about the likelihood of the Shadow being in a state of fog-induced high. Well.

That aside, however, Naoto was indeed grateful to Hanamura-senpai for voicing out the key points of what the Shadow had revealed. It helped her in connecting the dots, not only between what the Shadow had just said, but also to the existing knowledge she had about Orihara-san, in order to form a clearer picture in her mind.

"...In other words, this is what you mean." Naoto paused to get her thoughts straight before continuing, "Orihara-san...fears many things. Those, to my knowledge, include death, the certainty of that death, the unknown that lies within the future...and also love, and betrayal. The weight of human emotions, and how that could affect or change him, staggers him greatly. To the extent that he would seal off his own heart within the fortress that is called Orihara-san's 'love for humanity'... It is what helps him draw people closer and keep them shut out at the same time. Am I...correct in claiming so?"

_"..."_

Naoto took the Shadow's silence as agreement, and resumed her explanation with a struggle in choosing the right words, "As for his desire to reach the 'afterlife' or a 'new world'... If I'm not misunderstanding something, I am inclined to think that means Orihara-san's true desire, is not to literally travel to that world, but rather to reach an emotional state where he would not be weighed down by those fears any longer. That way, he will be able to love humanity in the truest sense...or, so he wants to believe."

The detective lowered her gaze. "Since that love is primarily a form of escapism for Orihara-san, reaching that emotional state means having to discard it. Nobody can claim to be fearless without having first faced the things they fear the most. But, to Orihara-san, his love for humanity has long been part of who he is. To toss it away means having to relinquish something that has been so integral to his identity, and that's...that's unthinkable. Not just to Orihara-san. Anyone would be terrified of that."

And, of course, that was what it all boiled down to. Orihara Izaya might be a twisted man, who appeared like a friend to some and a devil to many others...but there was no doubt that he was simply human, who had fears and insecurities that any other person would have, who tried to deny having them like any other person would.

It was small wonder, then, that his dungeon often spoke of his cowardice, and questioned his desire to change. Most likely, Izaya himself was wondering if he was capable of that – capable of change – when he wasn't willing to let go of the thing that defined who he was. And his Shadow took this to the extremes, possibly with the aid of the Malevolent Entity...by attempting to erase all traces of his existence, under the guise of "sending Izaya to the world he had been wishing for".

In a way, Naoto could relate to him. She had once shared a similar fear, and though she successfully faced it and learned to grow from her experience, it didn't mean that concern was completely out of her life now. Like Orihara, Naoto, too, once believed that she had to dismiss a significant aspect of her identity in order to achieve her ideals, or to sacrifice those ideals in order to stay true to herself, but now she no longer thought it to be the case. It shouldn't have to be viewed as a burden or an obstacle, but rather a necessary stepping stone that she couldn't, and shouldn't, erase from her life. Naoto never particularly liked being wasteful, after all.

Pitiful and relatable Izaya's circumstances may sound, however, Naoto refused to let it completely influence her existing perception of him. His fears, though understandable, did not excuse his behaviour, which was still clouded in mystery, if Naoto had to be honest. She could offer no explanation for the things he had done, even after getting this far in deciphering the meaning behind his Shadow, and even then there were things she didn't comprehend – the fire that broke out at the fortress, the Shadow splitting itself up... But then again, it would be ludicrous to expect full knowledge of a person simply by looking at his Shadow alone, when it was impossible to have complete understanding of a person in the first place.

"...In that case, then all the more we oughtta take you down," Yosuke said, unaware of the thoughts that were running through Naoto's mind. With his usual grin and confident wink, he nodded in the Shadow's direction. "Nobody should have to live thinking like that forever. People can change. It's just a matter of whether you want to or not. And, yeah, it's definitely not easy...but it doesn't mean you'll lose sight of who you are in the process."

"Mm-hm, it's all a matter of choice," Yukiko added serenely. "How you change, and who you aspire to be... Even though the future may be uncertain, there are things that are still within your own control. There's no need to impose rules on yourself and remain trapped by them."

 _"...Heh, try saying that to Izaya. See if he'll take your advice."_ The Shadow sniggered. _"Though, 'choice'...huh? 'How you change, and who you aspire to be', 'things still within your own control'... Those are some pretty words. But, I agree completely."_

"...?"

 _"Why do you think I'm here?"_ the Shadow repeated its earlier question, which took Naoto aback slightly even though she knew there could've been more issues she wasn't aware of. _"Yes, it was because of someone's 'choice'. By 'choice', this person closed his heart off to avoid facing it. By 'choice', this person turned his back on ordinary human relationships, and kept his love towards mankind a wholly unilateral, non-reciprocal affair. And yet, it was by 'choice' again that he kept delaying and delaying his plans – because he was afraid of severing the only normal friendship he has with the very person he aspires to be! Isn't that just pathetic?"_

"A person Orihara-san aspires to be...?"

_"Eh eh eh? By any chance, do you mean me?"_

Naoto, along with Yosuke and Yukiko, jolted when they heard not Rise's but Shinra's voice coming from the intercom. He probably requested for Rise to project his voice – most likely to satisfy his own curiosity – like she was able to for everyone else on the team.

 _"Why, if it isn't Shinra,"_ the Shadow said in a mocking tone. _"If you want your ego stroked that much, yes, I mean you."_

_"Ahaha, there's no need for you to do that, but thanks anyway. Glad that even I can be a role model to someone."_

The Shadow, however, was not as jovial as the underground doctor had sounded. _"...You haven't the faintest idea, do you."_ The Shadow continued speaking in a low growl, the thread that kept its lips sewn together shuddering. _"How big of an impact you really are... What you mean to the boneless coward – what you mean to me... You don't have a clue at all..."_

_"...Oh dear, what gave you that idea? I mean, I know I come off as a bit of an absentminded goof sometimes, but—"_

_"I envied you!"_ The Shadow's words were raw and shocking, unlike the roundabout route it usually took with its words before. _"You were able to do what I couldn't, and what I can never do! I wanted to be like you, to be able to watch humans from a higher plane...to be able to keep loving them, even if they don't return it...!_

_"Even Shizuo... Even Shizuo...! Why... How is it that he can have what I can't, when he doesn't have to shut that power off and still have people flocking to him? He doesn't even have the body of a human, and yet he thinks he can strut into human society and mingle with humans as though he's one himself? As though he can lead a normal life like other people? And yet still be able to leave behind his mark on this world and live on in people's hearts forever? Hah...hahaha...! How, how can someone like that even exist...?"_

Though Naoto didn't dare claim to fully understand, the Shadow's words still felt like a bullet piercing her gut, as though they were meant for her.

Having someone to look up to, envying the people who had what she didn't, pursuing a certain idealised version of herself no matter how impossible it seemed – Naoto was familiar with all of that. And for her senpai and friends, too, who all had their own weaknesses and struggles to confront with...

 _"Um, but I do know about everything you just said,"_ Shinra said, in a tone that downplayed the gravity of the Shadow's words.

 _"And yet, you didn't do anything about it."_ The manifestation of Izaya's most private thoughts and emotions chuckled darkly. _"Man, I knew you didn't care, and it's not like I was expecting you to, but...it pisses me off all the same."_

_"Izaya, you're not getting it."_

_"_ You're _the one who's not getting it, Shinra. Maybe you really are just asking for it..."_

With a snarl, the Shadow spread its wings and gathered its own energy into itself, withdrawing and tapping deep into the power it still had left. Before it could fully get itself charged and prepared for whatever spell it had in its arsenal, Yosuke flung a Ball of Lightning at it, which shocked it down splendidly.

"Talking to it's not gonna get us anywhere!" he exclaimed, mostly meant for Shinra to hear before raising a hand signal. "It's go time, guys. One for all, and all for one."

As they rushed in for another group attack, part of Naoto wondered if Hanamura-senpai had meant to say more to Shinra, and merely held himself back out of respect for the latter. It was probably the same reason why they no longer heard the underground doctor's voice, but Rise's as she resumed egging everybody on, and the reason why Amagi-senpai was hitting the Shadow harder than she usually did, and the reason why Naoto herself felt a brief wave of heat that had no relation to the battle sweeping over her body.

They repeated this process, over and over, until they were out of Balls of Lightning and returned to their usual fighting patterns. Naoto, at some point, suggested using another Magic Mirror, and that time the Shadow struck hard with a Mabufudyne that was returned to it in the form of additional health, to Naoto's utter embarrassment. Yosuke and Yukiko told her not to worry about it, but such a blunder was difficult to ignore, and the detective opted to remain silent for the rest of the battle as she continued to follow Yosuke's orders.

Just then, as the three of them focused all their attention on bringing the Shadow's stamina down, a screech in the distance that sounded oddly like the neigh of a wild horse reverberated throughout the area.

What followed was, in the simplest terms Naoto could describe, complete and utter chaos.

"U-um...! W-we're sorry for appearing like this..." said a bespectacled girl with shoulder-length brown hair and chopped bangs and dressed in what Naoto faintly recognised as the Raira Academy uniform, who was sitting atop a black motorcycle. Seated in front of her, who had been manning the motorcycle, and clad in a black jumpsuit and a yellow helmet, was...

_"Ehhhhh? Celty?"_

Shinra had conveniently expressed the confusion in everyone's minds.

"Hm...?" Naoto murmured, as she allowed herself to inspect the newcomers closer. Attached to the vehicle that was drenched in pure black was a smaller holder compartment that was large enough to fit another person, like the kinds Naoto often saw at police stations. And in that compartment, was a man. The man that was supposed to have been lifeless and delirious, bedridden in a certain underground doctor's apartment. The man who could be said to have been the cause of their current predicament. "O-Orihara-san?"

"Eh?" Yosuke choked, almost dropping one of his kunai. "What's he— Wait, did you guys bring him here?"

"Y-yes, it's quite a long story," the girl from Raira Academy replied. Her gaze then intensified, and for a second Naoto thought her eyes flashed crimson as she called out, "Ah, p-please watch out!"

"What...?" Yukiko muttered, before turning back, as did Yosuke and Naoto. The sight before them made their eyes widen.

The Shadow's aura, that had been weak and faint before, was now thick and suffocating all over again, as though the arrival of the three was entirely unwelcome and agonising to it. It had powered itself up without them realising it, and Naoto could tell because of the sheer magic and power that was centred in the Shadow's presence.

 _"You... How dare you bring him back..."_ It seethed, and the thread that had been stitched across its lips ripped apart. _"I'm gonna wipe you all out in one hit, along with the bastard...!"_

Rise gasped. _"E-everyone, no! You gotta get away from there! Th-this power, it's—!"_

"...You gotta be freakin' kidding me!" Yosuke yelped as he raised his head and saw the coagulation of bright violet energy above the Shadow's head. Naoto felt her blood run cold.

She couldn't let that happen.

That was all that she could think of.

Not to her senpais, or to Sturluson-san, or even to the girl who appeared to be her ally.

And definitely not to Orihara-san, who did not deserve this in the least.

If it was punishment, or what other people would call karma, for his crimes that he ought to receive, it shouldn't be like this. Not by his own Shadow's hands, not by the rules he had imposed upon himself.

If, to him, the right form of "punishment" would be for him to face his fears, to tear apart the defense he had built around himself and to look at himself straight on... If that, to him, was what he considered as painful and unbearable to face, then, although Naoto couldn't guarantee that it would be for the better, or if it would even be to his own liking in the end like how it worked for her, she wanted to give him that chance. Because that was part of her job.

Detectives didn't only live to solve crimes and mysteries. They had a duty to serve and protect other people, too, and that included the criminals themselves. By exercising objective judgement in handling a case and apprehending perpetrators instead of enforcing personal justice on them, detectives were also, in a way, giving them a chance to bear the responsibility of their doings. A chance to reflect, to evaluate, and to decide for themselves how they would face these challenges. A chance to change.

As long as people are alive, they are also capable of change – Naoto wanted to believe that.

And so, she couldn't let this happen.

"H-hang on, let me Trafuri the way out-"

"No," Naoto said firmly, and Yosuke looked at her as if she were crazy. She couldn't exactly blame him. "If we run now and leave the Shadow in that state, then we're not accomplishing what we had set out to do, Hanamura-senpai."

"Don't you think I know that?" Yosuke winced the moment those words left his mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, but seriously Naoto, that's a _Mind Charged Megidoloan_ that's about to come straight at us! That thing hits like a nuke, and you know it!"

"I am aware," Naoto replied. She was surprised even at herself for this sudden surge of confidence. Like something in her had stirred and changed, giving her the strength and courage that was coursing through every part of her body. The fluttering in her head that she normally associated with Yamato Takeru had ceased.

Naoto momentarily lowered her gaze to the pistol in her hand. Then, she slowly raised it up, and pointed it at the Shadow.

_'For the people who helped me stand on my feet, and walked with me as I discovered myself, and stayed with me even as I change, bit by bit... And for the people who I can aid in turn, in the unknown future, because I have been helped before...'_

The card she had once grown familiar with, and would learn to grow familiar with again from now on, appeared before her in a bright blue flash.

"Naoto-kun, what—"

"Yamato Sumeragi!"

***

The blast that Yosuke described as equivalent to the devastation capacity of a nuke was rendered powerless before the Shield of Justice that was summoned to surround all of the people present, and in that moment the Shadow was stunned and distracted nobody took action except for Naoto, who shot it in the chest repeatedly. Then, her friends, who had recovered from their shock, joined in to attack the Shadow with their Personas.

It wasn't long before the shrivelled figure finally folded its wings, and crashed to the floor, giving off a thick, shadowy steam. When the gas cleared, what remained was a complete Izaya lookalike, right down to the long coat fashioned after his usual style, but with the hood covering the top of half of the doppelganger's face.

At that time, Rise and Shinra appeared, having teleported to the scene after the fighting was over. Instead of taking a look at the defeated Shadow, Shinra ran and wrapped his arms around Celty's waist, pulling her into an embrace she poked her way out of. Then he shifted attention to Naoto, who was standing with the support of Yukiko, and immediately flooded her with questions about the "astounding phenomenon" from earlier. Even when Celty stepped in, the doctor did not stop, and continued rambling even as Celty forcefully pulled him away with her shadows. Anri, at a loss, simply remained quiet, and kept her hands folded in front of her.

Then the Shadow stirred, and not long after Izaya did, too. Leaving Shinra to go over to check on him, Celty went to the Shadow instead, and lowered herself to one knee when she noticed that its lips were moving.

"Why...?" it said, its voice barely above a whisper. "Why did you bring me back?"

Celty raised a hand, and tendrils shot up from the opening of her sleeve to form words in the air. [Because you don't have to deserve being hated forever.]


	37. I'll Face Myself IV

**April 27, 2013  
** **Niflheim**

In his own defense, Shinra did not regard Izaya as a "friend".

Because in all honesty, in the eyes of ordinary people a relationship like theirs was far too odd and deviant to be called a friendship. It was to the extent that nobody could believe that the two of them were friends, because it was hard to imagine that there could be someone who was friends with a person like Izaya despite knowing all of the terrible things he had done.

However, if it had been by Shinra's own standards, it certainly wouldn’t be too farfetched to qualify Izaya as a friend. After all, he had hung out with Izaya nearly everyday of his middle school life, even after that stabbing incident – Shinra would also admit that that was one of the reasons why anyone who knew about it could not believe that the two of them were still on speaking terms with each other – and he occasionally spent his break times with Izaya throughout high school. He even dropped by Raira University to check up on Izaya every now and then. Quite honestly, even Shinra himself was surprised it could last this long; most people would've given up and ostracised him because of his behaviour, but not Izaya. Nor Shizuo, for that matter, and that was why Shinra could happily call them both his friends. After all, what else did people call someone who still kept in touch with them, were still on casual, relatively good terms, and didn't mind their strange quirks or personalities?

But, of course, that was where it stopped in terms of friendship, if it was by Shinra's definition. And precisely because it had to be by his standards that Shinra didn't see the need to go further than that. If he had to make room in his life for friends in the world's definition, then that wouldn't do. That was troubling, even.

Because he had to make sure everything about him – his life, his mind, his heart, and his soul – was purely devoted to Celty and Celty alone. Having other people there would be getting in the way, and Shinra couldn't afford for that to happen.

Or, so he had thought.

Ever since that day, when he came clean before Celty about his inner conflict, Shinra decided to start seeing things in a slightly different light. Mainly, about his relationships with Shizuo, and Izaya in particular. Since Celty would be happier with him having some true human relationships, he would take that as her approval and try for her.

So, Shinra did not regard Izaya as a "friend". Not by the usual definition of the word, but he was going to try, at least. That was why he would say he could understand the Investigation Team kids' reactions, and why he was going to do something about it for once.

"But first things first," he chirped to himself, and walked over to Shooter with his hands in his coat pockets after being set free from Celty's shadows. With a smile plastered on his face, he tilted over, like a child playing peek-a-boo and watching from behind a wall. "Hey, Izaya. How're you feeling?"

Izaya's brows furrowed, and with a quiet groan his eyelids fluttered open. Shinra's heart gave a leap, and he felt his breathing quicken again, like how he had felt when he first saw Shizuo's display of strength, or the time he thought he had seen a Persona, or how he had felt earlier when Naoto completely neutralised that attack.

"...Shinra."

"Oh, you're finally awake. So that's how Apathy Syndrome is treated. I see, I see. Ah, but you better not let Father know just yet when we get back. He might want to use you as a specimen if he knows."

"...What are you doing here?"

"Ah, you recognise this place, then." Shinra straightened his back and looked to where everyone else was. "Well, this and that happened. It's a bit much, so I guess we can fill you in later. But first you have some loose ends that you need to tie up, am I right?

Izaya didn't reply. His auburn eyes, which were usually burning with the passion for life, remained dull and unfocused, as if there was a dull coat of copper over them. Shinra wasn't sure how much Izaya remembered exactly, but at one glance he knew that Izaya at least had an idea of what had happened to him and was reluctant to admit it. Yet, in spite of himself, Izaya got up from the holding compartment, steadied his sense of balance, and then turned back and smiled, all in a matter of seconds.

"Well, well, isn't this lively. Why are there so many people around? ...Well. People and monsters, I mean," Izaya spoke, making his way over to the group with Shinra walking by his side. Shinra maintained his smile, and made no comment on Izaya's choice of words.

"...Orihara-san," Naoto acknowledged, sounding more exhausted than she was relieved.

"Oh, Naoto-chan's here too. But that's to be expected, ne? After all, you specially made your way over to warn me."

"Um, if it's alright to ask, how are you feeling?" Yukiko said in a respectful tone.

"Just fine, just fine~ It's all thanks to your little gang that I'm able to stand right now. I mean, you're the professionals here, aren't you?" Izaya responded with a sort of cheer that sounded so genuine that Shinra could only describe it as nauseatingly fake.

Celty chose this moment to get up, and slowly walked over to Izaya, raising her hand to let some of her shadows escape and form words in the air. Shinra knew not to smother her at this point.

[In that case, can I say that you're sober enough to handle this?] She said, using another tendril to point at the hooded figure, who was getting up on its feet.

"Hmm? Why aren't you using your PDA, Celty?" the informant said instead.

[It doesn't work in here. Now don't change the subject. There's something you need to do, right?]

Izaya spared the lookalike a glance, and in that split second his smile faltered, but when he replied Celty, he addressed her like he normally did with anybody else. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Courier."

Shinra gave an inward sigh; this was going to be harder than he thought...not that he was expecting much anyway. Though it did make him wonder if Izaya was even aware of the fact that no matter how he hard he tried it was going to fall apart in the end. The high schoolers had already seen that part of himself, after all.

"Wha... Even at this stage, you're still denying it?" Yosuke blurted out, before mindfully correcting his tone and rephrasing that in a more polite way.

Izaya waved it off, and said, as smoothly as ever, "But there's nothing to deny."

This was when Shinra decided it might be a good time for him to step in. "He's right, Izaya. You can't keep running forever, no matter how good you are at it."

"Who said I'm running?" Izaya retorted, and though he still wore his smile there was no denying the venom and cutting tone masked behind it. "Anyway there isn't anything to run from. Shizu-chan isn't around, for one."

"Well then, funny how that works, huh?"

"...What do you mean by that?"

"I'm saying," Shinra clarified, despite knowing fully well that Izaya didn't need it, "that Shizuo-kun is rushing over here with all the others as we speak."

Izaya's smile turned sardonic. "Ah, I see. To check if I'm dead, I bet. Well, too bad for Shizu-chan, I'm still alive and well.”

Before Shinra could respond, a tendril of Celty's shadows with a blunt edge nicked Izaya's shoulder, and she shoved another message formed from her shadows into his slightly irked face when he turned towards her, without giving him any time to reply. [How can you say that about Shizuo? Even though he might hate your guts he wouldn't want to see you dead. I mean, he was worried about you, you know!]

The informant shot her an incredulous look, and didn't even bother to reply to that. As though the very idea of his mortal enemy sparing even a split second of concern about his well-being was so hard to believe that it didn't warrant a response in the first place – but, of course, that wasn't entirely the case. If Shinra hadn't known better in the past, he certainly did now.

Celty’s fingers trembled as she wiped the shadows away and formed more words. [You might've ruined his life before, created all that trouble for him – but he still came to visit you the moment Shinra told him you were close to dying! If he really wanted you dead, do you think he would've cared to even visit you at that point?]

"Ahaha Celty, do calm down," Shinra said, raising both hands in a comforting gesture. "Don't get yourself too worked up over this. It's okay, I can take it from here."

His spouse-to-be wanted to protest, but after considering his words she visibly relaxed. She hesitantly looked back and forth from Shinra and Izaya, then in that same fashion wrote another message in the air.

[Um... Did I say something wrong?]

"No, not at all, Celty. There's nothing wrong with being honest," Shinra said, positively beaming.

"Honest...about what, exactly?" Izaya questioned, trying to sound nonchalant. "So the monster came to see me. So what? Just because it appeared like an act of kindness doesn't dismiss the fact that it's just a gesture. Merely an attempt to look more human than he actually is."

"Izaya, you know that's not going to work on anyone here," Shinra replied, folding his arms with an unimpressed sigh.

Still, in spite of that, Izaya remained set on his ways. In the eyes of other people, Shinra thought, that must look like Izaya was dead firm on denying everything that had transpired. But in Shinra's eyes, Izaya had always been, and was still simply being true to his desires; the irony lied in the fact that those desires coincided with Izaya's fears. Or, to be more precise, they were locked in a vicious cycle: one giving birth to another that continued to add layers to the first.

The same could be said of any human being, really. The Investigation Team kids probably understood that better than anyone else here, and the inquisitive in Shinra wanted to ask if that was why Personas and Shadows were said to be two sides of the same coin.

And by seeing the way they were, and comparing them to Izaya, Shinra knew what he had to do. Not as a doctor providing professional care for a patient, but as a friend in the terms Celty and the world had recognised.

"Izaya," Shinra started again, putting both hands on his waist. "Who am I to you? And no, that's not a trick question, so I'd appreciate it if you'll be level with me."

The informant raised a brow, regarding Shinra with a slightly suspicious gaze, though he answered nonetheless, "A human with the strangest interests and hobbies that I'm aware of."

"Mmm, I knew you'd put it that way. But really, Izaya, like I said there's nothing wrong with being honest. I know you live for that kind of stuff, but quite frankly, unlike you I have no interest whatsoever in the reasons behind people's desires to be dishonest, and likewise I'm not interested to know why you're so fixated on trying to bluff your way out of this. The key here is, I'm not interested. But that doesn't mean I don't know." As he said this, Shinra enunciated every word carefully, keeping an eye on Izaya to gauge his reaction, however slight it might be. "I just didn't do anything about it, precisely because I'm not interested in it. Now, though? I think now's the perfect time to get things straight with you."

All this while, Izaya only stared. Whether he listened and took it to heart, Shinra didn't care to know, but the answer became apparent when a wry smile cracked on his former classmate's face as he gave a somewhat exhausted sigh. "This is going to be the gambling thing from middle school all over again, isn't it?"

"Only if you keep thinking it will."

"I don't see how this is any different."

"See, that's it," Shinra pointed out without a beat, knowing he had Izaya trapped there. "You're restricting your perspective, but that's not what you normally do. Don't you realise it? Most of the time, you try to stand in a higher position where you're at the centre of that situation so that you can have the broadest perspective of everything that’s happening without those things personally affecting you. That's because when things concern you, you form a biased viewpoint, and you hate that because it blinds you to any other exciting possibilities going on with 'your' humans. And now that you’ve been heavily involved in this, you’re bent on denying everything that’s not consistent with the way you view yourself or the things that concern you – in other words, you’re being biased."

"...Ah, I see where this is going. This is going to be along the lines of that puke talk we had once, am I right?"

"Well, since you insist, then let me put it this way. Izaya, the reason why you don't want that puke reaching you, is because you're afraid of the likely scenario where you’ll be forced to puke yourself. And in the event that happens, you don't know if you'll ever be able to return to your former position where nobody's puke can reach you."

Izaya pulled a bland face and averted his eyes slightly. Everyone else remained just as quiet as Shinra took a step forward. "But, that's the thing, Izaya. You might have tried to avoid it, but the likelihood was always there. It was going to happen someday, somehow, and it did. You know it. This here," he paused to open his arms wide, gesturing to the wintry world inside the television, "is your puke incarnate. You can't keep running away from it like you used to anymore. Not when it's right here in everyone's faces.”

“……”

"What I'm trying to say is, puking isn't all that bad. In fact, it's a pretty common occurrence. If I am to put an additional, slight medical spin to it, nausea and vomiting can be signs of a condition that needs to be treated. Holding it back, though considered as part of social graces in public, ultimately won't do you much good. Everyone has moments like that. It just manifests in different ways for different people. For you, it's this place, and this pitiful existence standing before all of us," Shinra said without having to stop or hesitate, in a matter-of-factly tone that was blunt yet gentle all at the same time.

Not giving Izaya a chance to refute, Shinra continued, "Sure, to you, or to anyone for that matter, you may think that the very sight of your own puke is revolting enough. And sure, there'll be people who find your puke disgusting, too. But don't let that bother or blind you to another possible group of people who don't find it disgusting at all. They might be in the minority, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. At the very least, _I_ exist."

"......That was quite the interesting analogy you have there, Shinra, but aren't you going a tad overboard with the puke thing? And besides, didn't you once say I make you feel like throwing up?" Izaya replied at last, slipping his usual mask-like smile back on his face.

Shinra didn't bother to address the contradiction, and instead he said with a light chuckle, "Come on, Izaya, I said it was a compliment. If I really had meant it to be a bad thing, why would I still hang out with you even after graduation from high school?"

"Because you don’t have anyone else to hang out with. Shizu-chan would have flung you somewhere if you had gone to whine to him after all," Izaya bit out, the harshness of his words in contrast to his seemingly delighted smirk.

"No," Shinra retorted, his reply meant as an answer to both comments Izaya had made. "It's because I see you as a friend."

For a split second, Izaya flinched. If it hadn't been the fact that he had grown reliant on studying body language in order to pick up on Celty's unspoken nuances, Shinra thought he might've missed that.

"And as a friend, I just want to say to you," Shinra paused here to take a few steps back, so that he was no longer blocking Izaya's line of vision from the Shadow that had fallen exceptionally silent, “however much you want to object to it, I don't mind helping you clean your puke up."

Now it was the Shadow's turn to jolt, taking a slow, but deep, breath. At this, all traces of Izaya's smile vanished, turning into yet another rare frown.

"You don't have to be so embarrassed, Izaya," Shinra said, which caused Izaya's frown to deepen instead. "I said it before, didn't I? I know. Though I won't say it's a hundred percent, I know enough, and yet I still haven't gotten rid of you, have I? I mean, really, to me your puke is already evident, but I haven't minded about it at all, so why are you getting flustered about this?"

"I should ask the same about you. You're the only one who's excited about cleaning someone's puke up," Izaya said, keeping his eyes on Shinra.

"This isn't about me," Shinra had to point out, knowing fully well that Izaya was aware of that himself. He knew Izaya was one stubborn bastard, so he hadn't expected this to run smoothly in the first place, but this was bordering ridiculous.

"Orihara-san," Rise interrupted, looking slightly apologetic for doing that. "You don't have to bring yourself to accept this right now if it is making you this uneasy. We don't want to force you into doing that, either. But...if you would allow me, I want to say something, and I hope you can hear me out, at least. Please?"

Izaya did not give a verbal reply.

Rise took that as consent. "We know this isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. I mean, accepting yourself isn't just what it sounds like. It’s not only about accepting that there's a side to you that you want to keep hidden. It’s also having the willingness to do something about it so that you can feel at peace with yourself. And I don't... I won't say I can understand what you're going through exactly, and I know you might think it's all right to stay the way you are, but... But, Orihara-san, you know that that's a lie, right?

"I mean, your Shadow... After all this while, it hasn't disappeared yet."

Shinra perked up at this, and so did Celty and Anri, though they did so for a different reason, while Izaya’s expression hardened. Meanwhile Yosuke-kun and the others didn't look like they were surprised by this.

"Eh? What do you mean, Rise-chan? A Shadow can disappear?" Shinra asked.

"To be honest, we can't be sure about this," Yosuke answered. "But it's happened before, to someone who denied his Shadow all the way. If what we've guessed is right, then that means..."

"Heeeey look, it's everyone! Yooohooo, Yosuke! Yuki-chan! Rise-chan! Nao-chan!"

"Ack, crap, stupid bear! Can't you read the atmosphere? There's still a Shadow around, in case you haven't noticed!"

With Yosuke's sentence cut off like that, everyone present except for the Shadow turned and looked in the direction of the newcomers' voices. Yosuke and his friends were all smiles when the rest of their group rejoined them after confirming that it was safe, coupled with relief upon seeing Shizuo along with them. Celty and Anri, too, visibly relaxed, with Celty quickly making her way over to him to ask if he was okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Shizuo replied, flashing a small smile that caught Celty aback.

[Did something good happen? You seem...happy.] Her message, though meant only for Shizuo, was visible for all to see.

"Do I?" Shizuo scratched the back of his head, his grin turning a little embarrassed. "Well...guess you can call it a good thing."

"Ah-hah, it has to be because you accepted your Shadow, huh, Shizuo-kun?" Shinra said cheerily. "That's perfect. Izaya can take a leaf or two from your book now that you're here."

"I don't need help from a protozoan," Izaya snapped, much to everyone else's surprise. Shinra, too, actually, but only because he had been wondering how much longer it'd take for Izaya to lose his patience.

"Flea?" Shizuo said, returning his hand to his pocket. He first looked at Izaya, then at the Shadow, before returning his attention to Izaya again, and started walking over to him. "Oh. You're okay."

"And doesn't that just disappoint you so?" Izaya replied, the edges of his lips curling to an acid smile, which was gone just as quickly as it came when the former bartender shook his head.

"Maybe before, it would," said Shizuo. "Now...I don't know. But, I know I'm not angry to see that you're okay. I'm sure of that."

"...Anyway, I heard that you're in a good mood?" Izaya deftly changed the subject, obviously peeved that they had gone back to an earlier discussion he didn't intend on having again. "Isn't that nice. You must've met your inner monster—ah, not that you're not one yourself, but that monster must've been even more of a monster than you are, and you've finally realised what you really are underneath that human-like exterior. So! Does that mean you'll finally leave humans be and let them settle their own problems by themselves without needlessly interfering with their lives? Not that I'm interested in what you intend to do, but out of consideration for my dear humans—"

"Izaya," Shizuo interrupted. "Don't."

Izaya's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't...? Don't what, Shizu-chan?"

"Everything," Shizuo sighed.

"That's vague, even for you," Izaya replied, unimpressed.

"I mean _everything_ ," Shizuo repeated. "Stop doing whatever it is you're doing and spit it out already. Don't just keep it to yourself. You've gotta say it aloud, to whoever else is here."

"How can you expect me to do that when there's nothing to say?"

Shinra mumbled an "Oh dear" to himself as he stepped away just in time for Shizuo to swiftly reach out and grab Izaya by the collar of his long-sleeved black tee. The Investigation Team kids startled in varying degrees, but Celty managed to get them at ease.

Even though trails of white air were rapidly escaping his lips and nostrils, and his characteristic frown crossed the blond's features, Izaya showed not one flicker of emotion, keeping an icy stare at Shizuo who was close enough to look like he was expelling smoke right in Izaya's face. Shinra let out a little hum.

"...Really?" Shizuo breathed, sounding the exact opposite of what everyone thought he looked like at that moment. "You really have nothing to say?"

"I thought I just told you I don't. Or did that not register in your underdeveloped brain?"

"That's a load of bull and you know it. Dammit, you _know it_ , Izaya. But just knowing's not gonna cut it. If you're that bothered by something that this kind of Shadow can pop up, that's a sign that you need to do something about it. And not by keeping it to yourself."

"That's good enough for me."

Shinra blinked at that, thoroughly impressed with how effective Shizuo was being at getting somewhere with this. Or maybe Izaya was getting fed up about this and having Shizuo right up in his face was simply the last straw. Nonetheless, it didn't downplay his effectiveness in the least.

Without any conscious knowledge of this, Shizuo spoke, "Oh yeah? Then why is this 'other you' still hanging around and waiting for something to happen? What happened to trying to kill you for denying it earlier? Why's it not doing that, huh?"

From where he was standing, Shinra could hear a little from Yosuke about how he was about to say that before Chie-chan and the others arrived.

Izaya shrugged. "Perhaps it's given up, seeing that its plan has obviously failed."

"It almost didn't," Shizuo emphasised on the last word, which got Izaya speechless long enough for him to continue, with a gentler and quieter tone than before, "Look, flea. I know how this feels. I dunno if it was the same for the rest, but... When I blacked out after my Shadow went crazy, I saw some things. Those things... They made me figure out some stuff. And that's just being knocked out.” Shizuo loosened his grip on Izaya's shirt. "And my Shadow, it…didn't even land a finger on me. But Izaya, you..."

"Ahh, Shinra mentioned something about an 'Apathy Syndrome'?" Izaya said, letting a crack of a hollow smile creep across his features. "Well, not that I'm interested to know, but I can guess as the name implies that I was stuck in a period of apathy towards something? If that's the case, do you really think I would remember that experience?"

"You do," Shizuo insisted. "I don't have proof... But I just know it."

"Don't you think that sounds ridiculous? Shizu-chan, do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound right now?"

Shizuo took a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah I know. I know it sounds really stupid, but so what? Something's telling me you remember and you're just pretending you're not, so I'm telling you as it is." Then, before Izaya could make a witty comeback, Shizuo's eyes brightened. "...Ah, that's it. I get it now. It was something...something one of your fleas said."

"What on earth are you—"

"You didn't die, just sent to a place you weren't supposed to go to." Shinra saw the corners of Izaya's lips twitching the moment Shizuo finished his sentence, which Shizuo – unfortunately for Izaya – caught. "Heh, thought so. That means I'm right, right? You _did_ see something."

Shizuo let out a chuckle, and actually sounded smug for once. Like he had finally caught Izaya in his own roundabout game of beating about the bushes, using the newly obtained information against the renowned informant who had nothing left up his sleeves.

But Izaya continued to deny that such a thing had ever happened, which made the grin on Shizuo's face disappear.

"...Y'know, flea," Shizuo spoke, letting go and stepping away to give Izaya a little more space. "If you're really not trying to hide from anything and you honestly – and I mean _honestly_ – think there's nothing wrong, I'm okay with that, but you gotta say it out at least. But, if it turns out that you're trying to hide because you're scared, and you don't wanna admit that... I can get that too. Hell, I'll be okay with it. Just as long as you say something about this."

The informant remained silent on the matter, but this time nobody prompted him to make any response. He didn't meet with anybody's eyes directly, but Shinra and Shizuo who were physically closer to him could see the harshness in those auburn eyes and the wrinkles at the edges of his brows that met in an irked frown. They left Izaya to his own thoughts, and only perked up when they saw Izaya draw in a deep breath.

He murmured something, but neither Shizuo nor Shinra could make out what it was. They were met with a glare when Shinra asked him to repeat what he had said. And he did, but again they couldn't catch what he was saying.

Shinra let out an exaggerated sigh. Of course Izaya would do something like this.

Then, from behind them, a slightly low-pitched female's voice muttered a string of equally incomprehensible words.

All eyes were on Naoto as she gradually stepped forward and continued speaking in the language that nobody else could understand. Izaya looked at her, his glare softening until his tensed features relaxed, and then with a sigh and a slight tilt of his head towards the sky replied back. The young detective had a smile on her face as she responded in turn, this time with an even longer reply that had Izaya chuckle at the end. Only, the chuckle hadn't sounded like anything close to Izaya's normal laughter.

With a curt nod and a few more words, Naoto left it at that and returned to her friends, who had been watching with avid curiosity and wonder. They didn't have time to ask her for details, if they had the intention to in the first place, for Izaya had shaken his head.

"...Well, well, to be told something like that by Naoto-chan... I must say, you've certainly," he took pause here to sigh again, this time lighter and filled with what Shinra could term as melancholic bliss, "certainly exceeded my expectations of you.”

"Izaya...?" Shinra heard himself murmur. There was something genuine about the way he said it, yet at the same time Shinra could tell that Izaya still had reservations about the whole thing.

"Shinra," the informant spoke. "Since you asked me a question earlier, I want to ask you one thing myself. And likewise," he paused as his smile broadened, "I want an honest answer."

Shinra slowly raised his shoulders in a shrug, admittedly unsure where this was going to head to. "Well, sure. Ask away."

"Why...did you call me a friend earlier?"

"Hmm, that's an interesting question out of the blue. Well, since you asked for an honest answer, it's because I did some thinking and discussing with my beloved, and I decided that I should be playing my role as a friend to you better."

Izaya's eyes narrowed for a split second, before he closed them shut. Then, without warning, he threw his head back and let out a mirthful laugh.

"I see, I see! Yup, that's how it is, that's the answer I expected!"

"I-Izaya...san...?" Anri said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Hah..." Izaya breathed as the laughter faded. Then, sparing the Shadow one glance, he turned away and kept his hands in the pockets of his pants, until all anyone could see was his back.

"Orihara—"

"Thank you, Naoto-chan, for exceeding my expectations of you. If I have to give you payment, as part of fair trade... That's right, I think this should do fine.” The information broker paused, raising his head slightly towards where the sky should be. “In response to what you said to me earlier, I only have this to say. I can’t tell you that you’re entirely wrong, because that wouldn’t be a nice thing to do, and that, I admit, would be a lie. But, I’m sure… I like the way things are now. In fact, I wouldn't mind if they stayed that way forever."

Everyone visibly relaxed at that, but Shinra knew it had nothing to do with relief or happiness or anything of that sort. He had a feeling it would end this way, but still there had been a glimmer of something like hope or expectation within him when he had decided to step up to talk Izaya into openly accepting his weaknesses, so to see that Izaya had made such a decision in the end made Shinra feel a tad bit let down.

"Ah..." Shinra heard Yukiko murmur, and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw what it was that had elicited such a reaction.

"So the Shadow vanished in the end, huh..." Yosuke said. "Were we... Was I wrong in assuming...?"

"It's fine," Izaya cut in. "It's fine. This is how things should be. After all, this is what...it means...to be......"

"O-oi, flea!?"

Only Shizuo reacted fast enough to grab Izaya by the wrist when he collapsed right after, as though there had been a particularly rough knock to his gut.

"Whoa there, flea. Uh...flea? Hey you still with us?"

Izaya chuckled weakly as his eyelids shuttered close. "Ahh... To think that...this would......"

"Oi. Oi, flea?" Shizuo said, shaking the other man.

When Izaya didn't respond, Shinra went to run a quick visual examination of his former classmate as the others hurriedly ran over.

"H-how is he, Shinra?" Teddie asked, his voice trembling slightly for reasons Shinra was most likely unaware of.

"Hmmmm," Shinra drawled, before sliding his hands into the pockets of his coat with a jovial smile as he turned and face Celty, Anri, and the Investigation Team, who were all looking at him expectantly. "I think it's best if we try to leave this place and get back to my apartment as soon as possible. There should still be a spare bed that we can use. Because, well..." He paused when he couldn't stop himself from laughing, despite the outcome of everything. "It seems to me that Izaya's sound asleep.”

***

**Night, an apartment in Ikebukuro**

_'...Sonohara-san... In the end, she didn't return to class after lunch.'_

Thinking this to himself while sitting in front of an old television set with a lowered gaze and some cup noodles in his hands, Mikado reached for his phone and stared at the screen. He pushed the menu button, and the screen sprung to life at the touch, but not even the brightness from the device could mask the gloom and concern in Mikado's eyes.

_'She hasn't called me back or replied to my messages, either...'_

And that wasn't the only thing that was worrying.

When he had returned home from school, the first thing Mikado did was to log into the Dollars site and comb through the forum thread he had started while on the way home. Though he received many encouraging responses, none of them had the answer he'd been hoping for.

That was when the idea popped in his head. When he remembered, out of the blue, that he still had the option of contacting Kanra-san – of contacting Orihara Izaya-san.

Although Masaomi told him, time and again, that Izaya was not to be trusted, Mikado still wanted to believe in the person who had given him warnings when he or the Dollars were in danger and leaked bits of useful info without any strings attached. Of course, that didn't mean that Mikado didn't have his doubts about the man; namely, regarding his intentions behind his actions. But in times like these, Mikado didn't want to give those reservations any unnecessary weight, like the decision he had made to trust in the Dollars network to find Sonohara-san, for just one more time.

And so, Mikado logged into the chatroom. But, as he had expected, he was alone in there. Disappointed and unable to think of anything else he could do, the high school student was about to reach for his phone instead until a pop-up with a message in private mode flashed across the screen.

 _"Has the fog finally been cleared from your eyes?"_ was what it had read.

Startled, yet curious at the same time, Mikado had questioned further, and requested for the sender – whoever it was – to elaborate on what they had meant. They did, but in an extremely abstract manner, which only served to add to his ravenous curiosity.

Ultimately, however, Mikado still didn't receive any information about Anri's whereabouts. And what made it worse, was that according to that stranger who messaged him, he couldn't turn to Izaya for help, and that he would only hear of news from either when they themselves were available to.

Then, there was also the matter of the very strange "fog" that had enveloped the city. The "fog" that had, for some unknown reason, prevented any of the townspeople from accessing their memories of the man named Orihara Izaya, Mikado himself included.

He didn't remember anything of that sort happening, though. Just the thought of forgetting that Izaya-san even existed was baffling enough in itself. But the evidence was irrefutable – the chat log that had recorded an earlier conversation with Setton-san that he didn't recall having was still in the chatroom's records.

Adding all this to the other strange things that had happened – Yagiri Seiji's unsolved death, television sets stirring in the middle of rainy nights, the Slasher incident spinning out of Anri's control – Mikado didn't know what to make of it all. The only conclusion he could arrive at, was that there was something brewing within the city of Ikebukuro again, on a similar or maybe even larger scale than the first Dollars meeting that took place two years ago. Larger than any widespread colour gang scuffles, or even the potential purge of the Dollars that Mikado had once been resolved to carry out.

Except this time, Mikado had no direct involvement.

The mere realisation made his heart tangle up, as though someone had used it to tie a dead knot to a brick of lead, and he tried to shake the feeling away.

 _'I can't,'_ he told himself. _'I promised Masaomi... I promised him that I would stay away. From the Dollars, from the Blue Squares_ _…_ _Izaya-san and Aoba-kun...'_

_"Please, Mikado. If you can't promise me anything else, just promise me this. I won't run away or hesitate anymore, so I'll always be around here for you. If you need help on fixing the Dollars, just say the word and I'll help you in whatever way I can. If you feel like you need to do something, I'll let you do whatever it is. So long as you're satisfied, I don't mind, but in return, I just need you to make that promise to me. I'm begging you, Mikado, I..._

_"I don't want to see you lose yourself."_

Mikado clutched onto his phone and sighed before finally putting it aside after what felt like an hour. Then he returned his attention to his cup noodles, and began eating quietly.

But just as he was around halfway through, a thud against his door followed by another in quick succession urged him to set it aside.

 _'Who could it be at this time...?'_ Mikado wondered as he got up and headed for the door, but did not open it immediately. Instead, he pressed his ear against the door, and when he made sure he couldn't detect any movement or voices, he slowly opened it, enough for him to look through with one eye.

There wasn't anybody around, not even along the pavement. Mikado then opened the door fully, and was about to take a step out when his foot knocked against a solid object on the ground. Startled, he looked down, and saw a small brown package with a note attached to it, which, upon closer inspection, read:

_To: Tanaka Tarou-kun_

_The answer you are looking for lies within. W_ _hat you choose to do with it is up to you, but I have faith that it'll be of use to you. You know how to contact me if you need any more help._

_No need to thank me. For you, this will be on the house._

_Toodles!_ _☆_

_From: Kanra_

_'Kanra...san...? Ah, does that mean Izaya-san is the one who sent this?'_

Mikado heaved a soft sigh of relief.

_'I'm glad... He's alright.'_

Though part of him did question if it was really Izaya himself who wrote the note and sent the package when he recalled that the information broker was in a tight situation himself, Mikado eventually shot that doubt down. There weren't many people who knew he was using the handle Tanaka Tarou in the chatroom, after all; he could count the number of people who did in just one hand, and none of them, to his own understanding, would do something like this. Moreover, the arrival of this package which had been claimed to contain the "answer Mikado had been looking for" was so timely that it simply couldn't have been anybody else.

 _'Even though he was in some kind of trouble, he still tried to help me.'_ A warm smile found its way on Mikado's face. _'Izaya-san...really is a nice person, no matter what other people say.'_

And with his refreshed belief in the man who once sought to bring about an all-out war between the colour gangs of Ikebukuro, Mikado carried the box in and hurriedly closed the door behind him as he took the package to where the light was. Then, without giving it further consideration, he removed the duct tape and opened the box.

***

**At an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

If there was one thing Yagiri Namie hated more than anything in the world aside from the world itself, it was to be kept waiting.

And if there was anything even more detestable than that, it was to be kept waiting without the guarantee that she would even get the answers she needed.

Before, her reason would be: not wanting to waste a second of her time that she could've spent with Seiji. But now, if asked the reason, she would say: not wanting to waste a second of her time that she could've spent on investigating any lead, even the tiniest possible, towards her brother's murderer. If she was to be held back from that, and for a purpose that had no personal meaning to her, she wouldn't be able to forgive whoever had committed such an offense.

And her former employer, Orihara Izaya, had just done the unforgiveable.

With her mobile phone to her ear and her free hand repeatedly pressing the doorbell over and over, Namie gritted her teeth and clicked her tongue.

"Why isn't there anybody answering?" she hissed, applying even more pressure with every jab on the doorbell. With a snarl, she ended the call and redialled the number, only to have it ring in her ear. "Kishitani, you'd better pick up, or so help me I will raze your house to the ground, toss that despicable _thing_ into the ocean and—"

"Oh—eh? Namie-san? What are you doing here in the middle of the night? ...And what's with the get-up?" the annoying underground doctor Kishitani Shinra had said, peeking from the edge of the opened door.

Namie withdrew her finger and kept her phone away.

"Where is the lunatic?" she asked, with every intention of making it sound as bitter and cold as possible.

Shinra tilted his head to the side slightly. "Lunatic? Oh, you mean Izaya?"

"I'm glad we agree on something. Now spit it out and don't waste any more of my time."

"Ahh I can understand your concerns, but I'm afraid you'll have to come back another day, Namie-san. Izaya isn't exactly—"

"Wait, so he was here all along?"

"Well, yes. Actually, no. Hmm but in a way yes."

Namie's eyes narrowed.

"But really, this isn't the best—wait Namie-san?"

Shinra was cut off when the door was slammed wide open and he found himself shoved to the wall of the corridor as Namie invited herself in. It didn't matter to her if she had found Kishitani at an inconvenient time – there was only one thing that mattered to her, and barging into Kishitani's place was the least of the least of her concerns. Perhaps even the least of the least of the least.

Before Shinra could catch up to her, Namie opened the door to the living room, and when she saw the state it was in, she raised a brow.

"Quite the crowd you have at this time of the day," she noted with growing suspicion, scanning across the room unperturbed by the stares she was getting. She scowled when she saw that that bastard wasn't among them, and without addressing the occupants in the living room she went over to the other rooms of Kishitani's apartment.

"Wait, don't open—"

Namie ignored the doctor's request.

But just as she turned the knob and creaked the door open it closed back right in front of her. In the corner of her eyes, a shadowy thread that had been wrapped around the doorknob slithered back to its owner, and another was ripping towards her, holding up an electronic device with a lit display screen.

[I'm sorry, but please let Izaya have some rest. He's had a really rough time, and it's taken quite a toll on him...]

"Does it look like I care about how his life has been?" Namie spat, folding her arms as she regarded the Dullahan, who was standing in the middle of the large group of people that had gathered in the apartment.

[Well... No, not really, but...]

"But nothing. Look, I don't give a damn about how exhausted he is or whatever. That man has the information I seek and he will pay dearly for withholding it from me. Aside from that, I have no reason to be here. To be frank I was even expecting to find him dead, but since he's still alive I don't intend on letting this chance slip away from me, so I'd appreciate it if you don't get in my way."

One particular young man with bright blond hair jumped to his feet and swerved sharply towards her, fixing his blue eyes on her. "Now that's just cruel, Miss! No matter how much Izaya has offended you, that's no reason to disturb him when he needs to rest up."

Namie let out a snort. "What? That's every reason to disturb him. Do you even know what kind of a person he is?"

The answer she had received, and whom she had heard it from, was beyond her expectations.

"Yeah, we know. Maybe even more than you do. And I dunno about the others, but even though I never would've thought he'd have this side to him, it still doesn't change the fact that I hate him. Just maybe less than before. But even then, I wouldn't want to disturb him, no matter how pissed off I might be. I mean, if someone's so damn tired that they keel over and black out, you shouldn't be disrupting his rest, you know."

"...Huh," Namie let slip, turning her gaze onto the man in the bartender suit leaning against the wall. "I never thought I would live to see the day Heiwajima Shizuo coming to Orihara Izaya's defense."

"I'm not," Shizuo clarified. "All I'm saying is that you should let people rest when they need it."

"How bad is this 'exhaustion' of his, exactly? You're all making it sound like I'm not letting his dead spirit rest in peace," Namie asked, the question meant for Shinra to answer even though she was still facing the group as a whole.

Despite the blunt morbidity of the statement, Kishitani laughed. Sometimes that doctor was as eccentric and abnormal as her former employer was. "Oh no, Namie-san, it's nothing quite so drastic. Izaya is, how should I put it... Ah, right, experiencing extreme physical and mental fatigue. Particularly on the mental side."

Namie considered that, before she replied, "In other words, you're saying that even if I go in there and demand for him to wake up this instant, it won't have any effect on him."

"Mmm I won't say there's entirely no effect, but even if you do get Izaya to do that I'm not sure if he'll be lucid enough to be of much help to you."

"...So you're also saying that I made a wasted trip."

"Well, technically, I didn't say that, but I won't deny that the implication is there, yes."

Namie sighed and placed a hand on her forehead. Then, with the same hand, she grabbed the cap on her head and crushed it in her grip.

"Um... Are you okay?" a voice she was not familiar with asked.

Not caring that it was to a stranger she had just met who was attempting to reach out to her, Namie shot daggers at the grey-haired boy. "It's none of your business," she spat before turning to Shinra. "Call me when he wakes, then. I'll attend to some other things in the meantime. You have my number, right?"

"Eh? Well, I can do that, but… Oh, I know! Is it okay for you to come over again tomorrow anyway?"

Namie was already on her way to the door when the doctor popped the sudden invitation. "Hah? Why would I do that?"

"Ah, I mean, I thought you might want to listen if you know about what we're about to discuss," Kishitani replied, his sickening smile widening.

"Unfortunately for you, Sensei, I'm not interested in knowing why you have so many guests over or what you intend to discuss, so unless it's for informing me about the asshole waking up then don't call me unnecessarily.”

"Even if it's something to do with Seiji-kun?"

Namie froze, then she turned around, very, very slowly. In that moment, she had forgotten all about the presence of other people in the room as she focused her attention on the underground doctor. "What...did you just say?"

Shinra kept smiling, as if that was a permanent feature on his face. "The culprit who might've killed your brother. We were about to talk about him, but—"

"Who is it?" Namie cut in, stomping her way over.

Kishitani raised both hands and backed away. "Ah, hold on, hold on, Namie-san. At the moment we're still—"

"Just get to the point, Kishitani-sensei. _Who. Is. It?_ " Namie said, emphasising heavily on the last three words.

"We still don't have a real name to go by, but it's highly likely that it's the same person who wanted Izaya dead," Shinra replied, which made Namie blink and stop in her tracks right before the Dullahan's shadows could reach her and pull her back.

"...So," she said, after a brief moment of silence, "it's not that girl, then."

"I'm sorry?"

Namie sighed, though it sounded more like a snarl, and ran a hand through her hair. "This is ridiculous," she said, first under her breath before repeating it, but at a louder volume, "This is _ridiculous_! Every damn time I think I'm finally getting somewhere, it just has to be turned upside-down in the end! Just who is the person that took Seiji away from me?!" Her breathing hitched without her intending to as she turned and slammed her hands on the sofa and dug her fingernails deep into the material, earning stunned and sympathetic looks from the people who were also in the living room and witnessing her outburst.

"Namie-san..."

"Don't, Kishitani. Don't you dare. It's not like you really care anyway," Namie growled, fixing an icy glare on the doctor as she released her grip on the sofa, the surface of which had been torn slightly. "Let me reiterate: I want to know who's the bastard that killed my brother. So if this discussion of yours is as useful as you imply it to be, then I'll take up on your offer to listen. But. If it turns out to be nothing concrete..." she trailed off here, and deliberately rolled her eyes to the right where the Dullahan had been standing.

"It will, trust me on that," Shinra hastily replied.

"It'd better." Namie straightened her back and squared her shoulders. "But why tomorrow, though? Can't you have that discussion now?"

"Ahh, you see, we did consider it, but these brave, young teenagers who did all they could to save Shizuo-kun and Izaya are too burned out for that. Look, their eyes can barely open right now."

Namie thought those kids looked just fine, though. If they had enough energy to be jumping up and yelling at her for being a so-called disturbance to Orihara Izaya’s so-called well-deserved rest, they were probably more than fine. But then again, their eyes did seem a bit clouded and glazed over with a sort of fatigue that she couldn’t really identify.

"...Alright," she agreed.

"Then that settles it,” Shinra said approvingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, we've come to the end of Arc 2. It's been quite the journey, hasn't it? I'm relieved myself, to see the story progress this far. We're technically two-thirds done with the story, but the events that will be happening in the third and final arc are going to be of a greater scale than that of Arcs 1 and 2 combined. You have Izaya to blame for that. Yeah, that decision of his is going to come back and bite him on the arse while dragging other people into the mess he's responsible for again - that's Arc 3 (and the entirety of Gameplay, actually, now that I think about it) in a nutshell. Just a bit of a heads-up because Arc 3 is something I've been working towards this whole time, so I'm quite excited about it and just had to say something about it. :D
> 
> Speaking of decisions, there were two ways a certain scene in this chapter could've gone. I'm not sure how many of you were expecting me to choose the other, haha. While I admit that I did consider it during the planning stages, ultimately Izaya denying his Shadow again just seemed more fitting, so I went with that. The reasons, I will go into when I wrap up the story and give a detailed A/N - though I'll be dropping hints as the chapters go by - but for now, yup, that's what I decided.
> 
> As always, thank you all for supporting Gameplay! I'm always very happy to see all these hits/kudos/comments/bookmarks, they make my heart melt :D


	38. Dry Harbinger I

**WE ARE S.S.I.D. - ONLINE HEADQUARTERS**

**< Myriad Truths has logged in>  
** **< Youthful Wind has logged in>**  
<Kamui Miracle has logged in>

 _Myriad Truths  
_ Hey. Did everyone have a good night's rest?

 _Burning Petals  
_ Oh, Seta-kun! And Hanamura-kun and Teddie-kun, too! What a surprise to see you all awake at this time.

 _Burning Petals  
_ Yes, we're all a-ok on our end. Chie's still out though, but she's sleeping like a log and drooling, so she must be fine, too.

 _Youthful Wind  
_ I...think we didnt need to noe abt the drooling thing Amagi （−＿−；）

 _Myriad Truths  
_ I do that sometimes.

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Y do u sound so proud of that?

 _Burning Petals  
_ Snrk!

 _The Man's Way  
_ Uh Amagi-senpai, h-how's Naoto doing?

 _Complete Analysis  
_ awwww kanji so ur worried abt her afterall! (^ _ ^)

 _The Man's Way  
_ Guh since when did YOU pop in?!

 _Complete Analysis  
_ ive been here all along moronji ur just too preoccupied wif naoto-kun 2 notice

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Don't make him all flustered, Rise, he just spilled coffee all over the dining table

 _The Man's Way  
_ Wha! Wha! No I didn’t! The thing just slipped from my hand is all! I'll clean it up afterwards!

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Only afterwards?!

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ KaNJi iS SooOoOooO irREsPoNsiBlE

 _The Man's Way  
_ A-anyway just answer the question already!

 _Burning Petals  
_ Well she's—

**< Shield of Justice has logged in>**

_Myraid Truths  
_ Ah

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ Ho-hOH~ ☆

 _The Man's Way  
_!?

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Oh hey there Naoto, we were just talkin abt u

 _Shield of Justice  
_...Yes, I can see that.

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Huh?

 _Complete Analysis  
_ oh i was just showing naoto-kun my phone so she can keep updated on wat we're talking abt b4 deciding 2 login

 _The Man's Way  
_!?!?!?!

 _Shield of Justice  
_ Tatsumi-kun.

 _The Man's Way  
_ Ah wait don't get the wrong idea Naoto

 _Shield of Justice  
_ Thank you for your concern.

 _The Man's Way  
_ I wasn't being......huh?

 _Shield of Justice  
_ There is no need to worry. I am well.

 _The Man's Way  
_......That's...great to hear. Yeah.

 _Complete Analysis  
_ awww wats wif the boring sounding answer?

 _The Man's Way [Private Mode]  
_ Dammit can you stop making this any more weird than it already is?!

 _Complete Analysis [Private Mode]  
_ ohhhh somebodys shy arent we ;)

 _The Man's Way [Private Mode]  
_ Rise......

 _Complete Analysis [Private Mode]  
_ im just kidding kanji, cmon lighten up!

 _The Man's Way [Private Mode]  
_...Hard to do that when you keep telling me the same thing everytime this happens...

 _Myriad Truths  
_ Anyway, so everyone's doing alright?

 _Burning Petals  
_ Yup.

 _Complete Analysis  
_ yupyup~

 _Shield of Justice  
_ Yes.

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Great! We're all ok on the guys' side too

 _Youthful Wind  
_ So it's just Satonaka left huh...

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Y do I get the feeling that something like this has happened b4?

**< Dragon Hustle has logged in>**

_Dragon Hustle  
_ Ahhhhhhh that was the best sleep I've had since coming to the city!

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ And oh my gosh everyone else is already awake and online?! Yukiko why didn’t you wake me up?

 _Burning Petals  
_ You looked like you were having such a good sleep I didn't want to disturb you...

 _Burning Petals  
_ I mean, you were even drooling...

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Aww, Yukiko, thanks. That's...wait drooling?

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Not this again...

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Ehhhhh I didn't get the couch dirty did I?! Oh man oh man I'm so sorry Naoto-kun I didn't mean it!

 _Shield of Justice  
_ It's fine, Satonaka-senpai. It's nothing to worry about.

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Ugh but still to leave my saliva all over your couch...

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Can we pls talk abt something else, we've been through this already

 _Dragon Hustle  
_...Wait you even told everyone about it Yukiko?!

 _Burning Petals  
_ Yes, why?

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Aaaahhhh why did you do that?! Ugh this is so embarrassing...!!

 _Myriad Truths  
_? But that happens to me sometimes too.

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ yeAh i gET drOoL aLL oVEr yOsuKeS cLoSet aLL tHe TimE

 _Youthful Wind  
_ U guys need to stop sounding like ure proud of that…（−＿−；）

 _Burning Petals  
_ Yeah I thought it was something common – I'm sorry, Chie, I didn't mean to embarrass you...

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Seta-kun... Teddie… Yukiko...

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Thanks :) and it's okay Yukiko, I know you didn't mean it.

 _Youthful Wind  
_ We're really getting off-track aren't we...

 _The Man's Way  
_ Uh...what did we even login for again?

 _Myriad Truths  
_ Ah. That's right.

 _Myriad Truths  
_ We're all heading to Kishitani-sensei's apartment today, right?

 _Myriad Truths  
_ What would be a good time for everyone?

 _Complete Analysis  
_ well...ive got 2 settle sum stuf wif my manager 1st

 _Complete Analysis  
_ theres supposed 2 b sum promo event 4 my album l8r but u can all go ahead without me! ill join u after im done :)

 _Myriad Truths  
_ Ah, alright.

 _Myriad Truths  
_ How about the others?

 _Burning Petals  
_ The rest of us here should be fine with any time. How about on your end?

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Same for us here

 _Complete Analysis  
_ ehhh then its only me? y do i haf 2 work on a sunday geeez...

 _Complete Analysis  
_ ah well, it cant b helped...jus dun miss me 2 much, k senpai? ♥

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Annnnnd there she goes again

 _Myriad Truths  
_ Leave it to me.

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Annnnnd there he goes encouraging her again

 _The Man's Way  
_ What time should we set off?

 _Burning Petals  
_ Hmm... How does 10 o'clock sound?

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Yep, shld be fine

 _Shield of Justice  
_ Shall we make our way there in our designated groups?

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ DEsi...wHat?

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Yeah, we shld...better to be safe than sorry

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Tho Sonohara-chan said there shldnt be a problem now, I still don't have a good feeling abt walking through town in a large grp

 _Shield of Justice  
_ Very well.

 _Burning Petals  
_ Still... To think that Sonohara-chan is actually the original wielder of the sword spirit that attacked us... It's almost hard to believe...

 _Youthful Wind  
_...Yeah... Sounds like she's been through alot herself

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ hrRRrNnnGHHhh...pOoR aNricHaN…

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ iTs tImES lIKe tHiS THat cALlS fOr A BeAr hUg!

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Just don't. You'll only scare her away.

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ WhA...??

 _Complete Analysis  
_ nah that wont happen

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ oH yAY!

 _Burning Petals  
_ Mm-hm, she'll cut you into pieces instead!

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ NooOOoOo Σ(Дﾟ;/)/

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Aw cheer up Ted, you know the girls are just teasing

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ yOyOYoSuKeEEeeEee...!

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Anyway Ted how're you feeling? You seemed kinda...off after we left the TV world yesterday

 _The Man's Way  
_...Oh, that. We asked him bout it, but he didn't tell us either...

 _Myriad Truths  
_ Teddie, is it alright with you to tell us here?

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ MmmMMMmmMnnN...

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ tHE thInG iS iM NOt sUrE oF It mYsElf...

 _Complete Analysis  
_ ne teddie...this isnt goin 2 b like last time will it?

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ huH?

 _Complete Analysis  
_ ur not...gonna up n disappear like u did last time rite?

 _Complete Analysis  
_ pls tell me ur not gonna do that

 _Complete Analysis  
_ otherwise ill never talk 2 u again dumb bear

 _Complete Analysis  
_ u promised, rmb? that u wont leave without saying anything again

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ rIRiriRisEChANnnNnNnNnn...

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Well, since the lovely Risette has made such a request, u can't possibly turn her down, right Ted?

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Don't worry, man. We'll figure things out together. Just like old times, yeah?

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ Yo...yOsuKeeEEeeeEe...!

 _The Man's Way  
_ Yeah Teds, whatever it is we'll face it with ya. I mean, we're a team, right?

 _Shield of Justice  
_ Indeed. Teddie-kun, you don't have to handle this by yourself.

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Yeah Teddie, we'll always be here for you. Besides we might even figure things out for you faster if we can all put our heads together!

 _Burning Petals  
_ Mm-hm. If there's something bothering you, don't hold back on asking for help if you need it, okay? We'll be happy to listen and do anything we can to help.

 _Myriad Truths  
_ You're not alone, Teddie.

 _Kamui Miracle  
_ EeeEveRYoNeEEeeE...!!

 _Complete Analysis  
_...huh? wat happened? its been a while since...

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Ahh, it's nothing, don't worry

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Ted's just too busy crying to say anything

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Let's give him another moment or two to let him settle down...then we can all talk this out together.

 _Youthful Wind  
_ And after that...I need to come clean with u guys abt something, myself.

 _Myriad Truths  
_ …Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you all about, too.

 _Shield of Justice  
_...As do I, as a matter of fact.

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Whoa, wait, why is this suddenly turning into some confession session or something?

 _Burning Petals  
_ Well, in that case...

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Huh wait you too Yukiko?!

 _Complete Analysis  
_ sure makes u feel like uve been left out, huh kanji?

 _The Man's Way  
_ Why're you always picking on me?!

 _Burning Petals  
_ It's not really a confession, actually, but lately I've been hearing things from the staff at the inn about a particular guest they've had over for the past week when I called them up to check on things.

 _Burning Petals  
_ Apparently... That guest has been going around asking a lot of questions about the case two years ago, and even made a special request for Yamano-san's room.

 _Burning Petals  
_ And sometimes, when the staff passed by their room...they would hear someone talk about revenge or someone not being able to rest in peace or something along those lines…

 _Youthful Wind  
_ Uhh......

 _Burning Petals  
_ Oh oh, and sometimes they'd even sound angry and murmur things like "Where did he go?" or "I'll find and kill him for doing this to me"...

 _Dragon Hustle_   
Waaaaaahhh I don't want to hear this!!!

 _Myriad Truths  
_ What happened in the end?

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Why are you curious about this?!?!

 _Burning Petals  
_ Well...

 _Dragon Hustle  
_ Teddie please hurry up and stop crying and come back already...!!!

***

**April 28, 2013  
In the streets of Ikebukuro, Tokyo**

"Uh, Shizuo..."

"Hn?"

"Did something happen? You seem to be in a particularly good mood today..."

"...Am I?" The same response that he had given Celty yesterday left Shizuo's lips.

"Affirmative," Vorona answered. "Normal circumstances, Shizuo-senpai would not take people who deny debts lightly. However, today is an anomaly. Perhaps, something has triggered Senpai's endorphin release, therefore explaining Senpai's behaviour and possibly positive mood.”

"Not that it's anything bad, of course," Tom quickly added. "In fact, if you're really happy about something, I'm glad for you, and I'm sure Vorona is, too. I'm just concerned, is all."

"Ah..." Shizuo rubbed the nape of his neck.

Was he really as happy as Celty, Tom and Vorona were making it out to be? He didn't really feel that way. Rather than call it happiness, Shizuo would say it was...serenity. Like the calm ocean waves in temperate weather – not too stormy, nor too sunny – or the stretch of a vast, open grassy field swaying in cool spring breeze. The kind of feeling that, if he had to simplify it even further, was akin to a flat horizontal line.

But, it was not true peace. Somehow, it felt that way.

After all, the only significant thing he had done was accept this power and the turmoil of emotions that came with it fully into himself. But that did not necessarily mean he had it all under control just yet. If he had to be honest, not just to himself but to the kids that helped him, he was still scared, even at this juncture. Not as much as he had been before, but there was no denying that slither of fear that was still crawling in the depths of his heart.

Still, it was a lot better now that he had taken the first step towards the peace he never got to truly enjoy. When he thought about that, though, Shizuo couldn't help but inwardly sigh as he replayed the scene of Izaya's Shadow in his mind, and fleetly wondered if the flea would ever be able to feel the same someday.

But Shizuo was determined not to go back on his word. That would make him no different from the debtors that chronically refused to pay up and covered their stubborn reluctance with excuses and lies, and the comparison alone irked him. No, he said he would be okay with whatever decision the flea had made, so no matter how the end result made him feel Shizuo would not do anything to force Izaya into making a choice he wasn't comfortable with. He could only hope that someday Izaya could arrive at that decision himself, and feel the same sense of happiness-like flatness that was rippling in Shizuo's chest.

The man in the bartender suit allowed himself a tiny, hesitant smile and said, "...Yeah, it's a good thing."

Tom grinned. "Ohhh, that's great, that's great. Care to share what good news it is?"

"It's a lil...complicated."

"Ah! I know that phrase... Is it a relationship thing?" This, Tom said in a whisper, while Vorona only watched on quietly and curiously.

Shizuo blinked. "Eh... No, nothing like that."

"I see," Tom said normally. "Well, whatever it is, I'm glad it's put you in a good mood."

Shizuo let out a hum and distractedly reached for some stray strands of hair falling over his forehead. He rubbed his fingers against it, feeling the coarseness of the bright yellow dye that coated his hair, and was about to drift into his own thoughts when a conversation and a few familiar voices reached his ears.

"Like. I. Said. It just has to be Shizu-Shizu and Iza-Iza the other day!"

"You're still harping on that...?"

"Of course! I mean, I mean, isn't it so mysterious? It's so obvious it's them expressing their love for each other, yet we're not shown their faces?! It's to bait us, right? Right?"

"...And you just admitted you got baited...?"

"Karisawa-san... She's hopeless..."

"Ah," Shizuo muttered.

"...Ah," parroted the people who had just crossed his path.

***

**At the same time, at an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

"Eh... So you're saying that Seiji died...because of something non-human from another world?"

Turning up in her usual attire, Namie, who had let her honest confusion and disbelief show in her expression and words, was met with resolute and firm stares, especially on the Investigation Team members' ends.

As they had all promised, Anri, Shinra, Celty, Namie, and the Investigation Team – with the exception of Rise – had gathered in the Kishitani residence to go over what had happened the past two weeks to solve the mystery behind Yagiri Seiji's death. Shizuo, who didn't want to worry Tom and Vorona any more than he already did with not turning up for work yesterday, promised to drop by later so that Shinra and Celty could update him in person, while Rise would join in after work on her own side was done as well.

Since Namie was invited so suddenly, Souji thought it would be most appropriate to inform her of what the TV world, Personas and Shadows were about briefly, before going on to explain where his team stood in all of this and how Izaya and Shizuo had been involved. Shinra then went on to share about his experience in that other world, but was careful not to let his excitement completely overtake him and made sure not to reveal too much about Izaya's Shadow; she might just scoff and leave, and Shinra was certain she wasn't the least bit interested anyway.

After they were done with the overview, the discussion delved into the topic of the Malevolent Entity, in order to answer the question that had been burning and eating away at the former head of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals for the past two weeks.

However, her reaction was not what everyone had anticipated.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that?" she said, folding her arms.

Shinra looked slightly disappointed. "Well, not that I don't understand where you're coming from, but is it really that hard to believe?"

"I've been told something similar by a prisoner who was clearly not in the right state of mind, so you can't exactly blame me."

The Investigation Team's eyes widened. "A prisoner...? Hold on, do you mean Adachi-san?" Yosuke asked.

Namie blinked, appearing mildly taken aback. "Adachi Tooru, was it? Yes, I was referring to him. Why?"

"Wha—how did you meet him? And when?"

Namie frowned. "When I first arrived in Inaba, more than a week ago. That was after the bastard Izaya gave me some information about a possible lead there, when he found out that a similar case had taken place two years back. He even gave me a fake police pass so that I could meet with Adachi Tooru-san on the false grounds of questioning him about the murders." Her nose wrinkled as she said this. "But for some reason he snapped at me and went on a bit of a deranged rant."

Despite the obviously unpleasant experience Namie was relaying to them, Shinra let out a laugh. "Namie-san seems to attract people who rant, huh?"

"Unfortunately," she seethed, gritting her teeth. Then, she visibly relaxed. "But I put up with it. It was for Seiji's sake, after all. But in the end it turned out to be some unbelievable rubbish about another universe inside televisions. Just like what you all told me."

"It's not rubbish!" Teddie exclaimed at the top of his voice, leaping off the sofa like he had done the previous night. "That place is my home, and Sensei and the others worked so hard to make it so beautiful! It really ruffles my fur to hear you call it 'rubbish'!"

"Teddie..." some of the Investigation Team members muttered softly, while Souji patted him on the shoulder and reassuringly told him to calm down.

"Your home? Fur?" Namie narrowed her eyes in a disinterested fashion. "You're all just really having me on, aren't you?"

Before anybody could respond, Souji got up from the sofa, walked straight for the television in the living room, and let his hand sink into the screen.

All was silent, the air charged with a tense yet playful sort of aura, as everyone turned to see Namie's reaction. The woman was, understandably, unable to come up with a retort, and could only glue her eyes to the phenomenon and to the silver-haired adolescent as he withdrew his hand.

"I didn't want this to turn into another interrogation," was the only justification Souji gave, returning to his seat.

"You go, partner," Yosuke whistled.

Namie, however, looked neither amazed nor amused. "That was...a surprise, I'll admit. But I still don't entirely believe you."

"Huh? Well what other doubts do you still have?" Chie asked.

"Harima Mika."

Souji, Yosuke and Anri perked up at the name.

"What about her?" Yosuke asked.

Namie regarded him with a gaze, as cold as always. "My doubts are concerning that girl. Why? You sound like you know her."

"Not...personally, no," Yosuke admitted, casting his eyes downward. "All I know is that she was Yagiri's...I mean, Yagiri-san's brother's girlfriend. And I can kind of relate to—"

"Hah!" Namie cut him off with her bitter chuckle. "Girlfriend? Since when? I don't recall ever approving them having that sort of relationship." As she spoke, her eyes blazed with a sort of envious fury, holding in them an intense but twisted sort of passion. "Seiji doesn't... Seiji didn't need anyone else but me. And definitely not a so-called 'girlfriend' that failed to protect him when she swore she would."

Yosuke was unable to think of a proper reply to that, while a look of knowing and understanding gradually surfaced in Anri's facial features. "Y-Yagiri-san couldn't have... To Harima-san..."

Namie glanced sharply at her. "She broke her promise."

While the others appeared slightly confused, Anri's eyes widened. "Wh-why...? Why did you do something...something so horrible to her?"

"You better watch your mouth," Namie warned. "What I did to her is _nothing_ compared to the betrayal and pain Seiji must've felt."

"Wait... _You're_ the one who had Harima-chan's throat cut up?" Yosuke said, raising his voice even though he knew how disrespectful it was. "How could you? She was just... It's bad enough she was so upset about your brother's passing that she lost her memories of him, and you had to go and slit her throat on top of that?"

Namie snorted. "You're making her out to be some pitiful damsel in distress. For your information, she wasn't that badly affected by Seiji's death. It was the memory-altering pills I gave her that caused her amnesia."

"Wha...?!"

Now the group of youngsters started voicing their shock, questioning Namie's motives for committing such an act against Mika while Shinra and Celty attempted to calm them down. In contrast, Anri remained silent in the midst of the uproar going on around her and the whispers chorusing within her body.

Seeing the reaction she had gotten, Namie took a deep breath and got up from her seat. "As I had thought, this is going nowhere." She then turned to face Shinra, giving the underground doctor an icy glare. "I suppose that means I can take my leave now, right Kishitani-sensei?"

"Ahh wait, Namie-san—"

The woman didn't listen. But she stayed all the same.

Because at the moment she was about to head for the door, something akin to a rope had wrapped around her wrist and prevented her from taking another step.

Knowing fully well the origin of this entrapment, Namie turned back and scowled when a PDA screen was forced into her face.

[...It's fine if you think this is of no real use to you.] Using another shadow, Celty was typing in front of her. [It's fine if you think leaving would be more worthwhile of your time. It's fine if you don't believe us. However.]

Namie remained wary as Celty hesitated for a split second, before the Dullahan typed further.

[Doing something like that to Mika-chan, to Anri-chan's friend, because of something that was beyond her control... That's not something I will take lightly. And, I believe, neither do these children.]

"...And you held me back just to say such a meaningless thing?" Namie questioned.

Celty shook her "head". [I just want you to remember that you are as accountable to them as they had sworn to be to you by promising to find your brother's murderer.]

Namie was silent, her expression remaining unchanged. Nonetheless, Celty called her shadows back, and let the PDA return to her sleeve.

For a moment or so, there was no movement nor speech, no discussion or talk about the case going on, despite the true purpose of this gathering. Even Namie, who had attempted to leave earlier, was not moving an inch from where she was standing, still keeping her eyes on Celty as though she were a tigress watching its prey.

Then, the woman let out a deep breath and took out her phone.

"Yesterday morning, I received this video clip."

She turned the device around so that everyone could have a look at the screen, which was depicting a landscape view of a dark, isolated alley in between two decrepit buildings. There was no sound coming from the speakers, and Namie didn't bother with the volume control either, so the only hint of what or when they could expect to see something happen was Namie's "Around the 23-second mark."

And then sure enough, not long after she said that, they saw the scenery change slightly. As they looked closer, they could see that something shaped like a person was running out of the shadows of the alley. The video zoomed in at that moment, and managed to capture the facial features of the figure as they ran frantically.

"That's...Mika-chan?" Shinra said, earning a few surprised glances and some "Ehh"-s from the Investigation Team members.

"She looks kind of...different, though?" Yosuke commented.

"Ahh, it's a bit complicated, really," Shinra admitted. "But to cut the long story short, that's not how she really looks like."

"In any case, the person in the video is confirmed to be Harima Mika-san," Naoto said. "But why do you believe that this video is casting doubts on her?"

Namie shot her a look that almost screamed "Are you blind?" as she kept her phone away. "That alley is where Seiji's body was found,” she said coolly. “And this video was taken on the night Seiji died, the time matching exactly his time of death.”

Yukiko's eyes shone with understanding. "So... Yagiri-san is thinking that Harima-san is linked to..."

"B-but that's not possible," Anri said, unable to remain silent on the implied accusation that Namie was making. "Harima-san loves Yagiri-kun. That's without a doubt. She wouldn't...wouldn't bring harm to him."

"...In the first place, it is already impossible if we look at it from another perspective," Naoto pointed out. "If Yagiri Seiji-kun's death was due to something that happened in this world, there would certainly be traces of it on his body. But nothing of the sort was found."

"Yet in the end Seiji died," Namie said, refuting Anri's point rather than Naoto's. "Since she failed to keep up her end of the deal, why should I hold onto mine? And besides," she paused here to lock eyes with Naoto directly, "don't you think you're being ridiculous by blaming it on another world when this city is already abnormal in the first place? Seeing that you're so convinced Seiji's death is caused by something non-human or that he died in another dimension or whatever it is you're calling it, then let me also ask you this: how is it possible that the brat was spared? As loathe as I am to admit, she stuck to Seiji like glue and followed him everywhere, and as you have seen, she must've been right there when Seiji died. How is it that whatever was targeting Seiji didn't kill her along with him?”

The whole room was filled with thoughtful silence as everyone considered Namie's words. "Well..." Chie started. "Maybe the killer just didn't think it'd matter if Harima-chan died or not. I mean, even if she did go to the police, they wouldn't believe her if she had said that whatever killed Yagiri-kun wasn’t human. And besides, the Malevolent Entity guy said that all it wanted was to 'see the outcome of one boy's death', so...I guess Harima-chan's reaction was part of that outcome?"

"Unless," Souji said, "the Malevolent Entity wanted Harima-san alive for a reason other than that."

While his teammates, Celty and Anri were stunned by and visibly concerned about that possibility, Namie was inclined to question it. "For what?" she said bitterly. "For what purpose is _she_ being kept alive, and not my Seiji?"

"...I'm afraid I don't know," Souji replied, avoiding Namie's eyes.

"Then go and find out," Namie spat, before she blinked and settled down. "Or just wait for Orihara Izaya to wake up. I wouldn't put it past him to know the answer and withhold it so that he could see what kind of a reaction he would get. That's basically why I came here anyway."

"Sorry, Namie-san, but aren't you giving Izaya a bit too much credit?" Shinra asked, shrugging. "Sure, he's the kind of person who would do that, but in a situation like this I highly doubt even he knows what's really going on. In fact, I daresay he's just as clueless as you are."

"Oh?" Namie raised a brow. "Then, do you mind explaining to me why the last thing he said to me, before I left for Inaba, was that I shouldn't try calling him while I'm there because he would be 'going on a long trip' and be completely uncontactable?"

Now Shinra was just as taken aback as everyone else was.

"I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?"

Namie didn't, and went on to say, "And then when I found out that he went missing and I really wasn't able to get through to him on any of his phones, all of a sudden he sent me that video I showed you earlier."

"But that...can't be possible," Shinra said carefully. "Well, I'm still not entirely sure about what you mentioned about his long trip, but from what I know, Izaya shouldn't have been in any condition to contact you, or you him, be it physically or mentally, during the past two weeks."

[You said you received the video clip yesterday morning, right?] Celty added. [If I may be frank, as Shinra said, that's impossible. Izaya never had any of his phones with him all this while. Even if he did, he couldn't have switched it on, even, let alone sending a video clip. I couldn't get my PDA to work the moment I stepped into the other world.]

Namie looked like she didn't quite know what to say to that, other than, "...But, this number is definitely his."

"Of course, we're not doubting that it came from his phone," Shinra hurriedly clarified. "The real question is, was it really Izaya who sent it? That's what Celty and I are saying."

"So someone else did," Namie said slowly. "But it doesn't change the fact that it came from his phone. Do you even realise where I'm going with this?"

"Mmmnn yeah I do, but Namie-san, even if Izaya did hide something like that from you, it doesn't mean he definitely knows everything about what's going on. Surely you're aware that it's highly unlikely that Izaya filmed this video himself. He probably just got it from one of his sources but thought he didn’t need to pay much attention to it or that you didn’t need to know.”

“That’s precisely what I’m trying to say. Whatever it was, it doesn’t change the fact that he knew about it. Keeping this from me is inexcusable."

"Ahaha, then feel free to scold him as much as you like when he gets up," Shinra said, beaming.

"...I'm sorry, but," Souji politely interrupted, "Yagiri-san, did you return to Ikebukuro because you received that video clip?"

"Of course I did," Namie answered, as if the answer was obvious from the start.

"Did you notice anything...strange about the city when you returned?"

Knowing looks abounded around him, whereas Namie kept an indifferent expression and attitude. "As a matter of fact, I did. I couldn't find the bastard anywhere, first of all. He wasn't at his apartment, he wasn't pestering Heiwajima Shizuo – well, I couldn't even find Heiwajima Shizuo anywhere – didn't reply any of my messages or calls, wasn't at the hospital..." Her brow twitched at the mention of the place. "Even when I tried asking his sisters, they told me they never had a brother in the first place. I have to admit, that was quite priceless, seeing them deny his existence outright."

"Wha... Even his own family...?" Yosuke murmured, exchanging glances with the rest of the Investigation Team members.

Namie noted this reaction. "Why? Did something else happen to the city again?"

They hesitated in answering and explaining to her what could've happened, in the simplest terms and without going into much details about Izaya's Shadow, but instead of the same disbelief and doubt they had been expecting, Namie seemed to accept it without further enquiry.

"I'm not surprised," she said. "That bastard has a non-exhaustive list of enemies who are out to kill him. Even I think he's the worst human being to have ever existed. Not that he cares."

"...Does he really?" Naoto muttered, mostly to herself.

"Anyway," Yukiko spoke, "isn't it...strange that Yagiri-san was unaffected, unlike the rest of the city? If Orihara-san's existence truly was being 'erased' from everyone's memories, then why wasn't it the case for Yagiri-san?"

"You have a point, Yukiko-chan," Shinra said, folding his arms loosely. "Oh? Actually, come to think of it, Celty and Anri-chan were both unaffected too, right? I remember Celty telling me that it was because of that that she could bring Izaya back, but she didn't tell me all the details."

As everyone turned to Celty and Anri now, the Dullahan unhurriedly typed on her PDA while Anri fidgeted. [Oh, that's right... That's our true purpose in meeting up today.]

"Guess we got a lil’ carried away," Kanji said, appearing slightly sheepish.

"Yeah, that— That happens," Yosuke grumbled.

[Well, um... I'm not quite sure how to begin explaining.] The moment Celty raised this for everyone to see, she brought her device down and erased the message. [Ah, that's right! I received this message...actually a lot of messages, from an anonymous sender. They claimed to know Izaya, and about what's been happening. They even told me how to get Izaya back.]

"So we've got another person on our side all along?" Chie said.

[I guess so. They told me a lot of things, some which I still don't really understand... So I was wondering if you all would know what they might've been referring to. Um, but it might look like a bit of a mess on my PDA, so...]

Shinra flashed her a reassuring smile. "I think I might know just the thing. Pass me the PDA, Celty."

Celty complied without a question, and they all waited as Shinra tapped on the screen a few times. After that, he left his seat in a hurry, and returned with a laptop in his arms.

"I had the whole exchange saved and emailed it to myself as a document file. Then we can have it opened on the laptop so that it's easier for everyone to see."

"Thank you, Shinra-sensei."

"No need, no need," Shinra said, waving Souji's display of gratitude off. "I'm the one who can't thank you all enough for letting me be a part of this phenomenon."

As the underground doctor spoke, he opened up his email and clicked on the attachment. When the file was successfully opened, he set it on the living room table and turned it such that most of the people present could get a clear view. There were various comments made by the adolescent Persona-users as they read and took in every word.

"...Oh hey, they were talking about us," Yosuke said. "All our movements, meetings, talk about the Midnight Channel, Namatame, Adachi...even Marie-chan and Izanami—whoa wait, who the heck _is_ this guy? It almost sounds like they were right there with us. I mean this is a bit _too_ detailed, if you ask me..."

"Could it be..." Yukiko gasped. "The Fox?!"

"...Amagi, you...you actually sound like you believe that."

"Yeah, if it really was the Fox, shouldn’t it be just saying 'yip'?" Kanji wondered.

" _That's_ your concern?"

"Hey, pipe down, can't concentrate with you being so noisy, Hanamura," Chie tilted her head back to complain.

"Why is it that whenever you get annoyed, you pin the blame on me?" Yosuke replied, sighing and shaking his head. Chie simply ignored him, and tried to direct her attention to the laptop screen instead.

"But Yosuke made a good point," Souji said. "Whoever this person is, they knew everything about what happened two years ago, right down to the smallest detail. Especially with regards to the fog and Izanami's plans."

"...And that's not all this person knows about." Naoto used her index finger to touch the screen, pointing at a particular paragraph. "Please, take a look at this."

The message had read:

_...There is also one other thing that might be of interest to you. Namely, about Seta Souji's cousin, Dojima Nanako, and one of the members of his team, the one named Teddie._

_It has not been brought to my attention if you have been told or not, but I will simplify the circumstances for you so that you have a clearer idea of what I'm suggesting for you to do. At that time, Dojima Nanako, in the most unfortunate yet fortunate turn of events, got involved in the case the Investigation Team kids had been seeing into. As a result, she was unable to make a full recovery from the fog's detrimental effects on her, and passed away in the hospital. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt, the kids went to confront Namatame Taro, to demand an explanation from him for the injustice he had committed the young girl._

_...All except for Teddie, that is._

_Teddie, you see, was the only one who remained by Nanako-chan's side even as all of his friends went to find Namatame. And in that moment, filled with the same despair that fuelled his friends' actions, this interesting being remembered something._

_He remembered that he was a Shadow._

_To this Shadow, who had forged for himself an ego and personality, and has had countless happy memories of being together with his friends and Nanako-chan... He realised that all of that shouldn't have happened. He thought, it was because of his coming to this world that resulted in Nanako-chan's death. And yet, even though he had regained his memories, he knew of nothing he could do to bring her back. And because of that, this pitiful creature fell further into his sorrow, falling, falling, falling_ _—_

"Teddie-kun..."

The blue-eyed blond couldn't ignore the looks he was getting, and for a moment had to lower his head and stare at the floor. Then, he looked up into Souji's eyes, and said quietly, with a soft smile on his face, "It's okay, Sensei. I'm okay. Nana-chan's all right now, so I'm not sad anymore. So..."

Souji murmured his name, and gave a comforting nod, before he continued reading from where Yukiko had left off.

_\--falling, until he arrived at a certain place._

_...Frankly, what happened after is a little confusing, so I'll keep it short. Essentially, Teddie's departure from what you would call "the real world" and into this time-space helped bring Nanako-chan back. I say "helped", because honestly it's impossible to say for sure if it was even related to it at all. Well, anyway, Teddie eventually_ _–_ _and obviously_ _–_ _made it back, and this, I would say, was entirely due to the bonds he had made with the people around him._

_My point being, Courier, Izaya is actually stuck in a similar situation himself. Only, made a bit more complicated because of a certain entity's influence...but, my point still stands._

At this juncture, Celty requested for them to skim past the next few lines, and to focus on the instructions that she had received.

 _That's right, basically all you need to do is to leave the human world. Now, don't fly into a panic_ _—_

_Actually, wait, I think you already did. It looks like you logged into the chatroom._

_...Ah, you're back? That's nice to see. Alright. First, let me clarify what I meant by "leaving the human world" so that I can set you at ease._

_What I'm trying to say is, if you want things to return to normal, you must first recognise and remember that you yourself are not human. In other words, you are like an "outsider" that has been invited to mingle and stay with human society. Not unlike Teddie._

_And, just like Teddie, you have formed bonds of your own with the people around you._

_On top of that, you are a Dullahan, which makes you even closer to the other world than Teddie may be._

_Putting it all together, it means that you are most likely capable of traveling freely between the two worlds as well. Perhaps, even, with greater skill and control. For simplicity's sake, I will only refer to two separate worlds, but the truth is far more complex than that. Well, not that it's necessary for you to know now, as you will soon find out later if you choose to follow my instructions._

_Earlier, when I said you have to "leave the human world", I meant that you have to follow Teddie's example and, basically, "fall" into the same realm that he did. Not that I'm asking you to mirror his sadness or anything like that_ _–_ _though you are welcome to try_ _–_ _because as it turns out, there's an easier method to access that realm. In the form of a door, somewhere in Ikebukuro._

_Ah, but don't misunderstand... That's not all you have to do. That's why I said that what happened with Teddie and Nanako was rather confusing. In your case, there's even a slight hiccup on top of that, if you plan on tackling this in the state you are in right now._

_Yes, I'm referring to the fact that you're currently separated from your head._

_Allow me to be blunt, Courier: there's no telling what will happen if you, the body, decide to travel to that realm without the head accompanying you. Ultimately that head is still part of you, an "outsider" existence. You came to Ikebukuro because you could still sense the head's presence, right? That means the two of you are still connected, however thin that thread may be, so you can't really be considered as two independent entities. In Teddie's case, though he is a Shadow fragment that split off from his original host's psyche, he has already severed that connection and is now a whole existence by himself, so it wasn't an issue for him._

_On top of this, your head also has all of your missing memories, yes? That makes the journey into the other realm even riskier._

_Remember what I mentioned earlier? I said that you must first recognise and remember that you are not of this world. So if you the body don't reconcile with the memories contained in your head_ _–_ _the memories of your life before arriving in the human world_ _–_ _then you haven't truly "remembered" like Teddie did. I think you know where I'm going with this._

_...Now don't get all upset. Like I said, it's up to you to decide to believe me, and it's up to you to decide if you want to go through with this._

_You're obviously not keen on finding and retrieving your head for the sake of Orihara_ _–_ _which I don't blame you for, honestly speaking, I even feel a bit guilty for ever suggesting that to you_ _–_ _and frankly, I think I'm going to feel even guiltier for what I'm about to tell you next._

 _Courier, even if you do manage to bring Orihara back, there's still the matter of the fog that has to be cleared._ _As I explained earlier, our villain of the month decided to make a flashy comeback by erasing Izaya's existence from this world. How he managed to achieve that, now, is by releasing a fog upon the town. A fog so dense that it has the citizens all blinded to the existence of Orihara Izaya. Why that person in particular, though, is anyone's guess._

 _But, what I do know, is that the fog this malevolent entity has unleashed upon the city isn't only blocking everyone's access to their memories of Orihara. It's also altering their perception of reality. This sounds vague, yes, but essentially what I'm trying to say is, everyone's not just forgetting about Orihara_ _–_ _even their perception of reality itself has been altered to believe that they are living in a world where Orihara Izaya never existed. But when all that's been said and done, that's not the fog's true purpose._

 _No... It's to serve as a conduit for the human world and the Shadow world to come together. Exactly like what happened_ _–_ _or was going to happen_ _–_ _to Inaba two years ago._

_And I'm going to be blunt again, but without your head, dear Courier, I highly doubt you are able to bring Orihara back and get rid of the fog altogether. Besides, the latter isn't even within your domain of control._

_It_ _’_ _s within Saika's._

_Saika, you see, works by creating and spreading a fog of fear between the human beings it claims to love so much. Or to be more precise, the fog it creates blinds the human beings affected to more positive emotions like happiness and optimism, and instead directs their attention to their fear and negativity, which most humans prefer to suppress deep within their hearts. When caught in such an illusion, the normal reaction is to try and suppress that fear again by reaching out to the more positive and encouraging thoughts, right? ...But the thing is, what do you think is the first deceivingly positive thought they hear?_

_Yes, it's a very simple: "I love you"._

_Well, how Saika works exactly isn't the message I want to bring across here. The key here is: if you want to lift the fog that has been released into the city, you will need Saika's...Sonohara Anri's help. Being a supernatural creature that operates using fog, there shouldn't be much of a problem to use Saika to lift it. The catch here is that you can't dispel the fog just like that._

_No, what Sonohara Anri will have to do...is to use Saika to absorb the fog into herself. And if she does that, she also faces the risk of losing herself to the fog, because the fog is going to merge with the fog that Saika is capable of producing. But, of course, it's all dependent on how strong a will she possesses to withstand it, so ultimately I have no say in what the outcome will be._

_...Now don't look at me like that. Yes, as much as you don't want to get her involved, especially in something so risky, I'm afraid you do need her help if you're resolved to return things to normal. Well, these are just my suggestions. The choice to make remains in your hands. I am only here to provide you with whatever information you need._

"...'And as for how I know all of this... That would be revealing too much about my identity, so let's just say I have my way around technology and leave it at that. Well, I bid you good luck. Don't hesitate to contact me again if you need more help, I am always available'..." Naoto trailed off as she finished reading the last message aloud.

Though the decision that Celty had made and the outcome of that decision were already obvious by now, the Investigation Team members still found it all a bit much for them to swallow.

"Seriously, first of all, who is this guy? They really give me some crazy stalker vibes..." Yosuke said, shuddering.

"Hmm, somehow I think I have a vague idea of who it might be..." said Shinra, who was looking somewhat nostalgic. "But...anyway, Celty, I'm so proud of you, for making such a stressful decision. You really are very brave.”

As Shinra looked in her way with a warm smile, the smoke trailing off the base of Celty's neck formed a small cloud that went _poof_ as she typed her reply. [That's, um... I-it's not that big of a deal, really. If anyone is brave, it has to be Anri-chan.]

"Eh, no...not at all. Celty-san, you were very brave," Anri said meekly before turning away. "If it was me, I... I don't think I could've made the same decision as you did..."

[Please don't look down on yourself like that, Anri-chan. It was because of my unwillingness to locate my head that led to you being involved. It had nothing to do with courage or anything like that...]

"B-but that’s not..."

[And you're strong enough to contain all that fog and restore things to normal. That's something only you are capable of doing, and it was so risky but you did it in the end.]

"That's... I only did that because... It didn't have anything to do with being brave or..."

"How about settling on both of you being brave? Really, Celty, how much more adorable can you get? Telling Anri-chan not to look down on herself, and then doing the same to yourself," Shinra interrupted, chuckling.

[Shinra...]

"Yeah, it was a hell of a gamble to make," Kanji agreed with firm nods. "I mean, trusting some stalkerish guy who popped up outta nowhere and sprung all this info on you, and then leaving you to decide on your own if you'd believe them and take that big risk... Not just anybody can do that."

[Well, Ikebukuro is my home, after all. I can't just sit idly by and watch it get used by some...thing.]

"Ahh, I totally get what you mean," Chie replied, grinning. "When you put it that way, I think all of us here would feel the same way, too. 'Cept in our case, it's Inaba." Her teammates nodded at that, sporting similar smiles themselves.

"But, man... To think that the solution was related to what happened with Nanako-chan back then," Yosuke commented.

"And that's not all. The idea of forgetting someone exists, and the idea of absorbing the fog... That's what happened to Marie-chan too, right?" Yukiko pointed out.

"Come to think of it, this whole situation has actually been pretty similar to the case from back then," Chie said. "From the fog, to the discovery of the body, to the talk about who found it, to the Midnight Channel...and now, there's even a parallel of sorts with Nanako-chan and Marie-chan. Then there's the thing with the tournament too. I mean about the Malevolent Entity and the way it posed as our Shadows and stuff... The only thing that's really different is Orihara-san and Heiwajima-san's Shadows splitting themselves up."

"What did one of ‘em say again? Something about 'time and space being unstable' or something?" Kanji said, pulling a face as he tried to recall.

"...But the anonymous sender said this. That the fragments of Orihara-san's Shadow that we saw were the result of the Shadow attempting and failing to devour his mind," Naoto highlighted, scrolling the screen back to an earlier segment of the document. "If we are to believe them, then the question is...why did the same happen for Heiwajima-san?"

Yukiko's eyes lit up. "Maybe it had something to do with, um, whatever the Malevolent Entity had done to Heiwajima-san?"

"Oh. _That._ " Yosuke grimaced. Shinra was chuckling sheepishly, to Celty and Anri's confusion, while Namie remained dispassionate and only lifted a brow slightly. "Yeah, that's probably it."

"But in the first place, was it truly because of a Shadow's attempt to devour one's mind, or the instability of time and space?" Souji asked.

"Something tells me it's a bit of both," Yosuke said, but he didn't sound entirely confident of his answer.

"It is... I think." To everyone's surprise, it had been Anri who answered. "I...am not sure if it's really what happened, but if Saika truly works in the way that person said it does, then... I believe it's quite likely."

"Huh? What do you—"

"I see!" Shinra said, cutting Kanji off. "If we take Saika to be something similar to a Shadow, then that does make perfect sense. Actually, I'm even inclined to believe that what that person meant by 'devour' isn't in the literal sense of the word.” In his growing excitement, the underground doctor elaborated without anyone having to ask him to, "In a way, Saika's forced intrusion into the minds of her victims works similarly to that, right? It becomes an ever-loving, very motherly presence that the victims find comfort and solace in, like they're surrendering their fears to Saika in order to forget about those fears that Saika has brought to their attention. But Shizuo-kun, you see, got cut by some Saika children over and over, but he wasn't affected by their voices at all, which makes me think is because he's always been aware of his own fears.

"And I've been thinking a lot, you're free to disagree with me if what I'm about to claim is wrong, but aren't one's fears related to one's Shadow?"

The Persona-users' eyes widened.

"Of course... So that's what it means to 'turn people into Shadows',” Naoto murmured.

"No wonder...we weren't affected even though we got cut," Yukiko said. "We've already faced our fears – our Shadows. And those Shadows have become our Personas, protecting us from the fog. That must be why those Saika children saw us as a threat to them."

"And why we could summon our Personas. They were...well, more like _we_ were just trying to protect ourselves," Yosuke added. "But, wait, actually that doesn't really explain why our Personas could be summoned here. I mean this is still the real world, after all."

"That's where the warped time-space must come into play," Shinra theorised. "I mean, as Namie-san mentioned, even before your arrival or the existence of the TV world here, this city is already not quite normal in the first place. That's why I love it here! Ah, but I'll love anywhere as long as Celty is with me."

"...Could the Malevolent Entity be making use of that?" Souji wondered aloud. "After all, if Ikebukuro is already experiencing some form of time and space instability, it would make achieving its goal much easier than with any other place, especially since it failed to do so with Inaba."

"I still don't see why it had to be Seiji," Namie bit out acidly. "Anyway, Kishitani-sensei, how long is the bastard going to stay asleep? This wait is becoming ridiculous."

"Ah, that's right, I haven't checked on him since last night." In spite of that, the unusually bright smile on Shinra's face didn't falter, as though he felt no guilt. "Be right back."

"W-wait, Shinra."

"Hmm?" The underground doctor immediately turned in the direction of the voice. "What is it, Teddie-kun?"

The blond was wearing a pensive expression and looking at the ground, shuffling his feet. "Um… I was wondering… Can I go in with you?"

"Eh?" Shinra, as well as Celty, were surprised at such a request. Interestingly, the rest of Teddie's friends, and even Anri, were not. "Sure, it's not an issue... But, why?"

“There’s something…I need to be sure of,” Teddie replied, giving a drawn out sigh. “I just hope…I’m wrong about this.”


	39. Dry Harbinger II

**April 28, 2013**

**At the same time, along the streets of Ikebukuro, Tokyo**

"Oh, if it isn't Shizuo," said the man with a beanie, standing in front of a group of three other people.

"...Kadota." Shizuo sent a nod of acknowledgement in his former schoolmate's way. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah we're heading to—"

"Why owe're heading to Tower Records, of course!" Yumasaki Walker, one of Kadota's friends, replied enthusiastically. He had stepped out from behind the taller man and was pumping his fists in the air and in Shizuo's face. "Doncha know about it? Risette's holding an event to promote her latest CD there!"

Shizuo gave a low hum, his reply as monotone as the expression on his face. "Who's Risette?"

Walker looked absolutely aghast. "Whaaaaaaat?! How do you _not_ know about Risette?! You know, the super hot, super talented teen idol-pop star who recently starred in a blockbuster movie?!"

"...Haven't heard of her."

"Ehhhhhh?!"

"Pipe down, Yumasaki, even if someone is particularly famous that doesn't mean everyone would know about them," Kadota pointed out.

"But it's _the_ Risette!" Walker insisted, his normally pale cheeks dusted with red. "The same person who’s been singing the opening and ending themes of a whole variety of anime! And get this, word's gotten out that she's been asked to take part in a live-action adaptation, too! That's almost like a three-dimensional 2D dream come true!"

"Ohhh speaking of which," Erika joined in, much to Kadota and Togusa's chagrin, "if we're gonna talk about a 3D-2D dream come true, then it just has to be Shizu-Shizu and Iza-Iza's love—"

"Wha—Karisawa, shhhhh!" Flabbergasted and knees shaking, Togusa managed to stop her before the self-proclaimed fujoshi could finish her sentence. "You know better than to mention that guy's name in front of Heiwajima!" he whispered in her ear harshly, hoping Shizuo's hearing wasn't as unusual as his strength was.

At the same time, Tom sighed quietly to himself and closed his eyes, making a mental countdown. When he got to "one", and realised that nothing out of the ordinary happened, he opened an eye. What he saw made him raise both brows and blink once, then twice.

Shizuo hadn't moved as much as a muscle, and his expression remained unchanged, as though he hadn't heard Karisawa mention the name of the man he detested so much, let alone the unfinished implication that the two were in love with one another.

What the fortissimo of Ikebukuro said in response left everyone, even Vorona and Erika, in bewilderment.

"Huh? What about him?"

"......Eh?"

"I said, what about Izaya?" Shizuo repeated his earlier question, oblivious to Togusa's muttered surprise.

Erika, however, recovered the quickest, and skipped forward to elaborate before anyone could stop her again, "Two weeks back, two weeks back! There was a video clip broadcasted allllll over Ikebukuro, showing you and Iza-Iza being all lovey-dovey with each other!"

"Oi Karisawa—"

"All we could see was just two dark shadows, though, but there's no mistaking your figures!"

Shizuo blinked at that. "Shadows...? Wait, something like that happened?"

"Uh, Shizuo...?" Kadota murmured, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Shadows, huh... I see. I get it," Shizuo said, though it had sounded like it was mostly directed at himself.

"A-anyway, we should get going! The event's about to start soon," Walker cut in.

"Ehhh but I haven't gotten to the juiciest part yet!" Erika pouted as she was dragged off. "Aww, well bye-bye, Shizu-Shizu! Maybe next time we bump into each other, I'll tell you more, 'kay?"

"Enough, Karisawa—sorry about her, Shizuo, you don't have to pay attention to what she told you," Kadota said, ready to follow his friends in the direction of Tower Records.

"Nah, it's fine," Shizuo replied, with a casual shrug. Unsure of what to make of Shizuo's behaviour, but relieved nonetheless, Kadota flashed him a smile and a firm nod before waving farewell and joining his friends.

Meanwhile, Tom and Vorona were left staring at their fellow colleague, questions forming in their minds that also attempted to come up with possible answers to those questions. While Vorona remained silent in her assessment, Tom eventually heaved a light sigh, the edges of his lips curling to a warm smile.

"You've grown, Shizuo," the dreadlocked man said in a gentle tone, reaching up to pat his middle school kouhai on the shoulder.

Shizuo turned to face Tom directly. "You think so?" he murmured.

"That's the feeling I get, after knowing you for so long," Tom said, nodding twice. "Before, you'd get mad at just the mention of that information broker's name, but recently I don't see anything like that from you anymore. I'll admit, it's pretty sudden, but I'm glad regardless."

As Shizuo mulled over his senpai's words, Vorona stepped forward. With her regular vacant, yet contemplative, expression, she spoke, "Can I affirm if the meaning of this is that Shizuo-senpai no longer regards Orihara Izaya as a 'flea'?"

"Hmm..." Shizuo thought about this for a while, before responding, "Nah. Once a flea, always a flea to me. But well... Maybe not a _flea_ flea anymore."

Vorona appeared mildly puzzled. "Requesting elaboration, if it is fine with Senpai."

"Honestly, I'm still in the middle of figuring it out, myself," Shizuo admitted. "I guess it's more like...maybe I don't really see him as that bad of a flea now. Or...maybe it's because there's a flea even worse than him that's out there." As he mentioned this, Shizuo frowned. "Never thought I'd ever say this, but I actually hate that thing more than I do Izaya."

"Yikes," Tom said. "Someone worse than Izaya, huh... Can't say I'd ever want to meet them."

"I'll make sure of that."

"Huh?"

"I'll make sure you and Vorona...and everybody else won't get to meet that thing, Tom-san," Shizuo said, keeping his voice calm and steady.

"Shizuo..." Tom murmured, looking at his kouhai with slightly widened eyes. Then, with another smile, the dreadlocked man patted him on the shoulder again, and thanked him. Vorona watched, at first, before following suit, though hers evidently lacked the same degree of warmth that Tom was able to bring across. Shizuo didn't mind it, however, and was just as grateful to her as he was to his senpai.

"...Ah," Shizuo muttered, turning to Vorona, "yeah, as I was saying, well... The flea's still a flea to me, in the end. Or more like...still being the trashy insect he is. Creepy, slippery, and just downright annoying. Definitely more on the annoying part. Seriously, that bastard... Even when he's not in Ikebukuro, still causing trouble..."

"Understood," the Russian replied in an almost mechanic fashion. "Then I shall file this new flea, that is worse than Orihara Izaya, formerly 'The Flea', under 'The Worst Flea', and Orihara Izaya under 'Trashy Insect', bearing the characteristics of 'creepy', 'slippery', and 'downright annoying', on top of everything else Shizuo-senpai has ever described him as. Additional note – excessive emphasis on 'annoying'."

"Yeah, you do that," Shizuo encouraged.

Tom could only shake his head amusedly.

***

_"_ _—_ _aughable."_

_"You're so, so_ laughable _I think my stomach is about to burst just looking at you!"_

_"...Huh? What's so funny? Did you seriously just ask that? Seriously?"_

_"You're killing me over here. Be careful about doing that_ _–_ _wouldn't want to throw up on you. At least, not right now."_

_"Well then, let's see, where was I? ...Ah, right. I was in the middle of mocking you. Just thinking about that makes my insides swirl, really. It's so fun laughing at your expense. Especially when you try so hard to avert your eyes even when the truth is right in front of you."_

_"Yes, that's right. The truth. About what, you ask? ...You're hopeless, aren't you."_

_"About yourself, of course. Have you even been paying attention to what I've been telling you?"_

_"What, or you thought I've been talking about some other spineless coward? Oh please, why would I do that when I'm so obviously you? I'm your truth incarnate... I know everything about you, past all the stupid walls and barriers you've created to keep everybody out. And you know that, don't you?"_

_"After all, you're me."_

_"So of course, you know everything I've been saying up till now has never been truer. You're just too pissed off to admit it, even to yourself."_

_"...What? 'There's no such thing as a truer truth since lies and truths are often hard to distinguish nowadays'...? Ha, hahahahaha! What_ _—_ _what on earth are you saying? Are you even listening to yourself?"_

_"Going by that logic I can claim that your existence is not any less of a lie than your love for all humans as a truth. Isn't that funny? That's as good as saying that you exist and you don't at the same time. Or that you love and you don't love humans at the same time. Doesn't that sound hilarious to you? Does that even sound right in the first place? Oh man, you're such a poor excuse of a walking contradiction you're making my stomach ache."_

_"You, you do realise that what you've been doing is all in vain, yes? Seriously, even when I'm right in front of you, in this place that sprung from you, you still try to dodge the issue? You're really hopeless, goodness! Are you even worth all the effort those youngsters are putting in to save you from this place? To save you from yourself?"_

_"...I believe you know the answer to that more than anybody else. Which means... I know the answer, too."_

_"That's precisely why...I find you so laughable."_

***

**In an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

"...He's burning up," Shinra distractedly noted, keeping his palm rested on his current patient's forehead while Teddie, who had waddled in with him, fetched the thermometer from the tray of medical equipment.

They had entered this same room that Izaya had been occupying since the incident in the TV world two weeks ago, holding some degree of expectation to see the informant awake or making some kind of recovery from his exhaustion. So they had both taken turns to call Izaya awake, and it wasn't until Shinra noticed the quick, heavy breaths his friend was taking in his sleep that he realised something was amiss.

"Shinra, here."

"Ah, thank you, Teddie-kun." Shinra accepted the thermometer with his usual smile back on his face, and promptly took Izaya's temperature. The device gave off a series of beeping sounds in rapid succession, which could only mean one thing, but Shinra checked the screen regardless. "Yup, it's a fever alright. He must be really worn out, if he's developed a fever from that."

"Humans aren't meant to be in that world for too long, after all," Teddie said, lowering his head. Shinra understood that to also mean Izaya had been fortunate to get away with just a fever at the end of it all.

"And by 'that world', you mean the realm our mystery help was talking about, right?" Shinra said, getting up to clean and then place the thermometer back to its usual place. "Not the TV world?"

Teddie hesitated for a brief moment, before nodding as if he was still wearing that large, bulky suit that Shinra had seen when he was inside the television. The blond boy didn't elaborate any further, however, and Shinra decided to leave it at that. Pressing him for answers would make the former Shadow more unsettled than he already was at the moment – that was Shinra's primary concern in the first place, anyway. What was it that Teddie had to come in personally to affirm with his own eyes for? And why was he hoping that his worries would be proven wrong?

Somehow, Shinra had the feeling that his own beloved and even Anri shared such questions in their minds as well. Celty hadn't confided in him about this yet, but now that Teddie had taken the first step Shinra was almost certain that Celty would be speaking with him soon. Souji and his other friends didn't seem surprised at Teddie's request, either, but Shinra chalked it up to Teddie consulting them beforehand rather than there being a supernatural connection.

"So," Shinra started, after they had both lapsed into silence, "did you manage to find what you were looking for?"

"...Mmmrrrmmmrrrmmm..." Teddie rumbled, casting a sideway stare at the raven-haired man lying on the bed. For a split second, Shinra thought he saw the blonde's nose twitching. "I... I don't know. I can't say for sure, but..."

Shinra didn't say a word when Teddie had trailed off, and simply nodded in understanding as he opened up the cabinet to look for an antipyretic that Izaya could take in his current state while waiting for the bear to gather his thoughts.

"But... I think that—oyoyo?"

"'Oyoyo'?" Shinra echoed curiously, tilting his head over his shoulder. When he saw what was happening, the doctor stepped away from the cabinet instantly and towards the bedside. "Ahaha so the stubborn mule finally decided to wake up. How are you feeling, Izaya? Cold, feverish, aching anywhere?"

"...Like you would care," Izaya scoffed as he struggled to sit up, holding his head with one hand but he didn't seem to notice this. The informant then turned to face Shinra. "...So? Anything interesting of note that happened while I was out?"

"Other than Namie-san threatening to kill you after finding out you were keeping something from her, and learning about what a great selfless deed my dear Celty did for you? Not so much," Shinra answered, beaming like the sun. "Speaking of which, I think the both of them would be rather pleased to hear that you're awake. For completely different reasons, of course."

Izaya blinked slowly, eyes still looking slightly clouded and glazed over. "Hehhh... So Namie returned from her little vacation," he murmured with a smirk.

"Now don't tell me, you really knew about that video clip?"

"Some kind soul who happened to be passing by the alley that night sent it to me." Izaya stretched an arm out and waved it, like he was flippantly shrugging the matter off. "But I ought to clarify, I only received that clip after I had my dear secretary go pursue a possible big clue in Inaba. So it wasn't like I was withholding any information from her or anything when she came to look for me."

"I still think she'll kill you regardless."

Izaya let out a chuckle at that. "Maybe. Though I doubt that, since she draws a very clear line between things. But then again, humans can be unpredictable, so who knows?"

Sensing an Izaya-style rant coming up, Shinra motioned for the informant to move his hand away and then touched his forehead for the second time that day. The skin still felt particularly warm, but at this time it was impossible to tell if it was because of the existing fever or Izaya regaining consciousness and getting up. It could be both, Shinra concluded, because somehow it felt like Izaya had gone a tad bit warmer. An inspection this close also told him that there were small beads of perspiration that were forming around the frame of Izaya's forehead.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Shinra asked, despite knowing fully well that his friend would deflect that.

"Never felt better, in fact." Izaya raised his shoulders in a shrug. "Though I can't say if your friend here feels the same."

It was just Izaya's way of getting him off his back. Shinra knew that better than anybody else, maybe with the exception of Izaya himself. But he couldn't simply ignore what his friend from middle school had just told him, not when Teddie had some kind of purpose in coming here in the first place.

So Shinra, withdrawing his hand, turned and locked eyes with Teddie. Or at least, attempted but failed to when he saw that the former Shadow was resting his head against his hand in a manner not unlike that of Izaya earlier, but with his eyes shut tight as though he were in pain.

"Teddie-kun? Is something the matter?" Shinra said, taking a few steps towards the blonde who started shaking his head furiously.

"I don't... I don't know," Teddie whimpered. "I feel like... I feel like I've forgotten something, a-and it...it flashed in my head just now. And now I...I can't grab hold of whatever it was..."

"Do you want to go back to your friends?" Shinra suggested gently, stretching an arm to show the way to the door while placing the other hand on Teddie's shoulder. It was then that Shinra realised that it was the first time he had ever had physical contact with the younger boy, and he almost recoiled when he realised how different Teddie felt under his fingers. Almost like all he could make out was the skin and not the structures that were supposed to be lying beneath it, not even a trace of warmth or hint of a pulse.

How did it feel like to have a body like that, a part of Shinra wondered. How different was it exactly from normal human bodies? Did it grow like a regular human's, did it go hungry or thirsty and regulate energy and temperature like a regular human's, did it even have the vital organs that most humans couldn't live without – Shinra had been thinking about all that, ever since Souji and the others gave a little explanation about Teddie's origins and how he came to be the person he was today. And the same part of him felt a little blessed that he had his own past experiences with the supernatural that made him different from most doctors out in the world, and so he could offer insights that no other doctor could if he had the opportunity. And if Teddie himself was willing to, of course; that made a whole world of difference. He still wished he could have at least a vial of Shizuo's blood to work on. Did Teddie even have blood in the first place...?

"Y-yeah," Teddie said, bringing Shinra's attention back to reality. "I…want to go back to where Sensei and everyone else are..."

Shinra nodded in understanding. "Alright then. I'll join you all later. If anyone asks, tell them I'm having a word or two with Orihara-kun, and that it'd be great if nobody comes to disturb us."

Teddie could only mumble back his agreement and gratitude before shakily walking out and closing the door behind him. Shinra could hear some muffled murmurs from his side of the door, but decided to pay it little attention as he returned to Izaya's bedside.

"I'm flattered. You would choose to have a word with me than to return to your loved one who, I believe, must be waiting for you outside," was the first thing the raven opted to say.

"Well if you put it that way, I'll be leaving now," Shinra responded, purely to tease and to make a witty comeback.

"Fine by me," Izaya said, pulling his shoulders into another casual shrug.

"Ah but you don't really mean that," Shinra said cheerfully. He'd been able to see past Izaya's defenses before, but after the experience in the TV world, he found it much easier to do so now. Which made it all the more fun yet exasperating to see how his friend would choose to dodge or skirt around a topic he wasn't comfortable with. "And anyway I was serious when I said I needed to speak to you and that I don't want people interrupting."

"Whatever floats your boat." Izaya pulled his legs to his chest, rested an elbow on one of his knees, and then, with his chin on a clenched fist belonging to the same arm, faced Shinra directly, keeping his usual smirk on his face. "So? What is it that you wanted to say?"

Shinra grabbed the nearest stool, placed it close to the bed, and took his time in taking a seat as he tried to gather his thoughts about what he had intended to say when Izaya awakened from his deep sleep.

He could see the auburn eyes watching him, glued to his every action. "...And something tells me it's not simply just a word or two," the owner of said eyes added with a somewhat wary tone, yet the plastic smile never faltered as he said so.

"It's not," Shinra confirmed, keeping his voice light. "Izaya, I want you to be frank with me about something."

"Hmm?"

"Did you know all of this was going to happen when you found Seiji-kun's body?"

Izaya's brow twitched faintly, but the smirk didn't leave his face. "Is there anybody who can make predictions about the future and make a hundred percent guarantee that they would come true?" he asked back. "If one hasn't experienced that future for himself, can they really make the claim that whatever they predicted would be something absolute or set in stone?"

"You like to believe you can."

"Indeed, indeed," Izaya laughed. "But unfortunately, I have to admit that's beyond me. It would be nice, of course, but then, where's the fun in knowing everything that is about to happen in advance?"

"So you had an inkling," Shinra ventured a guess, trying to contain Izaya's rambling to a minimum. Under normal circumstances, he probably would've let the informant run his mouth dry, but he didn't want to keep Celty and Souji-kun and the others hanging on something so crucial to the case they had been so anxious about.

"You can put it that way, yes," Izaya said with a nod, looking rather pleased in spite of the true outcome that his "inkling" couldn't have possibly predicted. "That serial murder case in Inaba made a lot of people curious, you know. Not to mention the rise in kidnappings or unexplained disappearances of various people that just so happened to have taken place at around the same time. There were conflicting reports on who the real culprit was, as well as vague accounts about their modus operandi... And then, nearly two years after that, we have something similar happening here."

Izaya then continued, conveniently leaving out the details about him having been the one to have discovered Seiji's corpse, "It wasn't that hard to figure out, especially when Naoto-chan and her friends kindly took the time and trouble to come all the way to my apartment to warn me. In fact, even if they hadn't done so, I was already prepared for the likely event that I would be targeted."

"But you didn't think it'd be something so, ah, thrilling, right?" Shinra said, placing gleeful emphasis on the word "thrilling". "I mean, a world inside the TV, the Midnight Channel...and Shadows, you know?" He had made a deliberate pause there. "No way you could've imagined that it'd involve all of these things. Even I wouldn't have thought so."

To his mild surprise, however, Izaya didn't even seem the slightest bit annoyed. On the contrary, he looked rather self-assured, as though he...

"As a matter of fact, Shinra, I did.”

"...Eh?"

"I knew about the existence of that other world. And, definitely about the Shadows, as well," Izaya added with a smug smile.

"Hold up, you knew about it? And you didn't bother sharing such an amazing discovery with me?"

"Haha! I knew you'd be annoyed about that. Why do you think I _didn't_ tell you about it?"

Somehow it felt as if the tables had turned in Izaya's favour now, even if it was just for that slight moment. "You're the worst, Orihara-kun," he huffed, and then he continued before Izaya could have the chance to gloat, "But, I'll admit, I didn't think you knew that much. I was actually convinced you were clueless about the whole thing because it seemed fitting for that Anonymous-san to do that to you. Making use of you without you realising, I mean."

"Because that'd be like I was getting a taste of my own medicine?" Izaya responded, seemingly unaffected by what Shinra had correctly pointed out, but there was no denying the sharp edge that his voice had taken. "Well, not that I was aware that this would happen exactly, though I did consider the possibility that otherworldly beings would be involved."

"And too bad for you, that turned out to be the case," Shinra said, folding his hands behind his back as his smile broadened. "And not only that, you ended up spraying your puke all over us, too. What a turn of events that turned out to be, wouldn't you agree?"

Izaya shook his head in mock disappointment. "That disgusting analogy again? Really, is that all you've been wanting to say?"

"Actually, no," Shinra responded. "While I won't deny that I did consider doing that, even I can understand that nothing I say about it will change your mind at this point. And to be perfectly honest, it doesn't matter to me what your decision might've been. Whatever it is that you choose, you're still Orihara Izaya to me, so that's not my purpose in asking you all of that earlier."

When Izaya didn't reply, the underground doctor gave a firm nod and a thoughtful hum as he got up on his feet. "I'm just trying to have a decent conversation with a friend," he said in his usual flighty tone, "about a funny thing called 'karma'."

"...Shinra," Izaya, whose smile was finally completely wiped off, took pause after saying his name, letting his arm fall across his bent knees, "what exactly are you trying to drive at?"

"Well, I mean, think about it," Shinra started. "Normally, you're the one pulling the strings behind most of the seemingly strange occurrences in Ikebukuro. I say 'seemingly', because even though it may look like a complete mess to both outsiders who are looking in as well as the people involved in such a mess, as long as one takes the time to settle down and think through things and trace it back to you, then it all makes sense.

"But then, while in the middle of a potential cacophony that was bubbling in the cauldron you were looking over, all of a sudden the fire gets put out." The doctor took one step to the right. Izaya's watchful gaze never turned away from him. "And now, considering all that's happened, it's almost like someone has robbed you of that task of watching over that cauldron and pushed you right into it. And, in your stead, has got the fire going all over again. It's something I've been thinking about since Father confirmed your Apathy Syndrome two weeks ago, actually."

Shinra continued, not waiting for Izaya's reply if there had been any, "To put it simply, you won't be safe forever on that pedestal you keep believing you're standing on, Izaya. There'll always be someone on an even higher plane, standing right behind you, waiting for the right moment just like you always do to give you a push in the direction that _they_ want _you_ to take. And if it is a human being that wants to do that to you, and you're aware of it, I know you'd only be too happy to let them – that's what I think. It's like the guillotine I warned you about before, a long time ago. I'm sure you remember that, too."

"......"

"But in this case, it's not a human," Shinra said, face falling without him realising it. "And, yet, you happily walked into it all the same. That's what I don't—"

"I didn't _let_ myself get shoved in, if that's what you're concerned about," Izaya interrupted, sounding as though he had just been thoroughly insulted.

Hands tucked in the pockets of his coat, Shinra returned to his seat and crossed one leg over the other. "Then that can only mean one thing. You thought it had been a human who was targeting you, and because of your curiosity about their motives and reasons for trying to kill you, as well as how they would do so, you wanted to catch them when you were supposedly at your most vulnerable. To see who it was exactly that went to such lengths just to get to you. But then they turned out to be something non-human – a possibility that you did take into account but you took the gamble regardless – and in the moment you realised your own folly, they managed to grab that window of opportunity to push you right into the TV world...isn't that right?"

Izaya didn't directly answer that, and simply let a hollow smile creep onto his face as he said, "Since when did you start moonlighting as a detective, Kishitani Shinra-sensei?"

"Only when I need to be," Shinra said, brightening.

"Ah, to make sure your dearest loved one isn't in danger or at risk of being manipulated by some supernatural element. I see, I see." With an air of confidence, Izaya folded his arms and nodded, mostly to himself. There was something about the way he said it that made Shinra think back to his brief and one-sidedly heated conversation with the Shadow, but he kept that out of his mind for the time being as he addressed Izaya's statement.

"Well, that's not far off the mark," Shinra admitted. "But, see, that's why I said you don't get it. Yes, Celty is my everything, and I have her in mind in everything I do, but that doesn't mean I'm completely indifferent to my own environment."

Izaya was alert enough to not mention about the "not getting it" part, and instead asked for a clarification about the later half of what Shinra had said, which Shinra had been trying to give this whole time.

"I told you, didn't I? You're my friend, Izaya. You and Shizuo-kun both. And I believe I once told you back when we were still in high school that even if it doesn't really matter in the end, I don't want to lose either of you. I still don't, by the way. And that's precisely my point." Shinra paused to shift his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I might not care about you or Shizuo-kun in the same way I do Celty, but it doesn't mean I don't care _entirely_. I may be a bit removed from normal human lifestyles, but I'm not heartless or anything. I'm still capable of having feelings for other people around me, I'll have you know. Just on a much smaller scale than what Celty is capable of eliciting in me. Actually, now that I'm telling you this, I'm starting to feel a bit hurt that you would think of me as someone so detached that I would stop caring for other people. My darling doesn't want me ending up like that, so for her sake, I've been making sure that I won't."

Izaya avoided meeting his eyes directly at that point, choosing to remain silent.

"I know what you're thinking,” Shinra said. “It's back to me being a puppet with no will of my own or something, right? But, listen, Izaya. Celty doesn't like you. I'm sure you know that already, and of course, so do I. Yet I still consider you a friend. I still tend to your injuries when you're wounded – you deserve it, by the way – I still keep all your contact numbers in my phone, and I still drop by your place or let you come by mine from time to time. If I were simply my darling's puppet, do you think I'd still do all that? Still keep someone like you around as a friend?"

The informant didn't reply, and didn't make as much as a twitch, either.

"I won't tell you what you must or mustn't do. If I did that and expected you to follow, then you'd just be a puppet, not a friend." Once again, the underground doctor stood, but this time he used his foot to move the stool away to the side. "But there's someone out there who tried to use you like that, Izaya. Like a puppet, I mean. You might not have realised it, and maybe you haven't even at this moment, but you played right into his trap.

"He knew how the case worked. He knew that _you_ knew how it worked. And when he made that whole setup you unknowingly charged into, he knew how you would react. That was all he needed for everything else to happen, which was, again, all because of you, while you were ironically and completely out of the loop of it all, as if your waltz into this wasn't insulting enough."

Shinra saw and heard the sharp breath that Izaya had taken, but other than that his friend didn't say a word. Shinra took a deep breath himself, before releasing it in the form of a sigh.

"What I'm really trying to say is, I want you to be more careful, Izaya. You're the kind of person who stands out a little too much, and you even take pride in that, which has gotten you a lot of trouble over the years. Now it's gotten to the point where even the supernatural world has taken notice of you, and is, well, in its own way trying to remind you of your place."

"Right," Izaya agreed sarcastically, with a wry smile as he now turned away completely. "My place."

Somehow it felt like he had struck some kind of chord within Izaya, but Shinra hadn't really meant to by saying that. Perhaps it had something to do with the "world" his friend got sent to, which Shinra was most certainly extremely curious about, but he decided against letting that cloud his judgement for the time being.

"And you were lucky to get away in one piece, otherwise you'd be stuck in some zombie state to be left to die and rot for good. You have Souji-kun and the others to thank for that. Ah, and not forgetting my beloved Celty, of course. As well as Shizuo-kun and Anri-chan. Funny how that all works out, doesn't it, now that I think about it? The supernatural world was the one that nearly killed you, and yet at the end it was the supernatural world that saved your life. Unless you count Souji-kun and his friends humans, of course, but in my opinion, they'd still be regarded as having ties with the supernatural world since they used the power of Personas to save you. Well, either way, you can't deny my Celty's involvement in that, too. Plus Shizuo-kun and Anri-chan."

He didn't need any form of response from Izaya to know that struck a nerve.

"Anyway, I just want you to watch your step. You don't have to make drastic changes to your lifestyle or personality or anything, but… Just be extra careful. There's no telling where that Anonymous-san has gone to or if there's still something up his sleeves, so it'd be best if you pay more attention to your surroundings from now on. I don't want my beloved's efforts in saving you to be all in vain, in the end. Neither do I want to see you jumping straight into a trap like that again; you won’t always be as lucky, you know. I don’t expect you to follow my suggestions, like I said, but still, at least let me do my part as a friend.”

"...Shinra."

"Hmm?" The brunet blinked at the sound of his name.

"Do you have anything for a bit of a headache? I'm starting to feel one coming."

"Ah, you mean for the one you've been having since you woke up? I'd been meaning to find you something, actually."

Izaya chuckled weakly. "Please do, Kishitani-sensei," he said in his usual feathery, joking tone, not bothering to make any comment on whether Shinra was right about that headache.

"Ahaha, I'd appreciate if you don't call me that, Orihara-kun. The way you say it makes it sound like you're addressing my father, and I'm not quite that old just yet," Shinra replied, walking over to the medicine cabinet.

"Well, Emilia-san is more youthful than you are, and she's your stepmother. I'd say you're old enough."

"Very funny, Izaya. Here," Shinra dropped two white tablets onto Izaya's palm, "hold onto this first. I'll go get you a glass of water from the kitchen."

"Ye-es, Sensei," Izaya teased again, and Shinra couldn’t help but flinch slightly. It almost sounded as though Izaya was doing exactly what he said that Malevolent Entity had done to him: reminding him of his place. That he was still a doctor before he was some kind of pseudo-detective; that he should focus only on what he was expected to do before thinking about dabbling in anything else.

That he ought to stay away from whatever was happening, and just remain in his sphere of isolation from the world.

 _'No way, no way,'_ Shinra shot that possibility down the moment it appeared in his head. How did he even jump to that conclusion in the first place? _'I must be overthinking this. Izaya's not that kind of a person. Just being his usual, infuriating self, that's all._ _’_

And a part of him still couldn't believe that he had almost been made to forget that he had ever met this infuriating friend at all, the thought of which was enough to unsettle him, reminding him of how he had felt when the Malevolent Entity made the proud declaration of Izaya's death.

"You're such a handful," Shinra let slip, which earned him an amused chuckle from his current patient. Not that he had meant to keep that assessment to himself, though.

"And you only realise that now?" Izaya knew that was a rhetorical question, but had said it anyway.

So Shinra played along. "Nope, I knew you were kind of an asshole from the start."

"How mean of you, Shinra. Hm, wait, now where have I heard that one before?"

"Izaya," Shinra called out, once he had a hand on the doorknob.

"Yes?" Before the informant managed to accurately recall the incident when that exchange had taken place, he turned in Shinra's direction.

With the most innocent-looking smile he could imagine himself making, Shinra said, "You might be an asshole and one jerk of a friend, but still, before I forget... Thank you."

"...Whatever for?"

"Oh, you know." And Shinra left it at that, opening the door and stepping out of the room to leave a rather confused Izaya to think through on his own.

Only, he wouldn't have the luxury of time for that, it seemed.

"Oh, finally. What took you so long."

"Whoa—Namie-san? Don't startle me like that—hang on, Namie-san?"

And just like that, without getting a further response from the woman who had shoved him aside again, the door to Izaya's temporary room slammed shut in Shinra's face, the subsequent _click_ telling him – as well as everybody else in the living room – that walking into this particular conversation that was about to occur would only end badly for him.

***

**Tower Records, Ikebukuro Branch**

The event floor that was normally deserted during the weekdays was now teeming with people – mostly those who looked like they were still in high school – who were chattering and murmuring amongst themselves. Some were holding onto signboards they had personally designed and decorated, some with lightsticks branded with the name of a past live concert, while others were holding up their phones and cameras, ready to snap away the moment the star of the event stepped into the room. Conversations about unfamiliar song titles, movies and concerts abounded all around him, to the point that it was nearly impossible to make out whatever his friend was saying to him unless he spoke directly into his ear.

"Heeey, Mikado, are you even listening?"

"E-eh?" The Raira Academy student whirled his head to the right, and almost collided with Masaomi's face. "S-sorry, Masaomi, it's kinda noisy in here, so..."

"You'll get used to it," his childhood friend said with a wink, playing with the humble-looking sign in his hands. "Anyway, what I was trying to say is, thanks for coming along with me, buddy. I know this isn’t something you normally do, but you came anyway. That means a lot to me."

Mikado allowed himself to smile. "Don't say that, Masaomi. It's no big deal. I mean, we used to do everything together, didn't we?"

"Ah, the good ol' times," Masaomi said, grinning, before letting it melt into a frown. "Hey... Is something bothering you, Mikado?"

"Huh?"

"Tell me if I'm just overthinking this, but... You seem a little out of it. Are you still worried about Anri-chan? But earlier she messaged us saying that she's fine, right?"

"Ah, actually..." Mikado trailed off, leaving the crowd's voices to fill in the silence.

 _'There_ is _something, Masaomi.'_ He wanted so badly to say that, to spill it to his best friend, but the words died on his tongue along with his courage to do so.

There was the matter of the fog, the strange spell of amnesia that the city of Ikebukuro had apparently been put under without anybody realising it, televisions switching on by themselves in the middle of rainy nights, the fact that Yagiri-kun was dead and still nobody had figured out why and how yet.

And...there was also the thing about the box he received.

_'Why did Kanra-san, I mean Izaya-san, send me that...?'_

Mikado's first instinct had been to dial the information broker's number and ask him personally, but when he received no answer on the older man's end he immediately turned to the chatroom and left Izaya a private message with the hopes of receiving a reply as soon as possible. But even until now, Mikado had yet to receive any notification of his queries being answered.

He had a nagging suspicion that something was not quite right, even with his memories of Izaya "restored", and that whoever was behind it was intentionally trying to goad him into delving deeper, to force his hand and involvement by dragging Sonohara-san into the matter. Mikado’s frown deepened at that without him realising it.

"Mikado?"

At the sound of his name, Mikado blinked back into the present reality. "Oh, um..."

"I knew it. Something's up, isn't it?" Masaomi peered, his gaze questioning yet gentle.

"M...maybe?" Mikado offered, giving an awkward laugh that sounded awfully fake even to himself. Masaomi didn't seem convinced, and only stared further until Mikado relented. "I-I guess... Something's happening to Ikebukuro."

"What is it? Is it the Dollars?" Masaomi leaned closer to whisper, with swift and full understanding that this topic wasn't meant to be openly discussed, even if their voices might be drowned out by their surroundings.

"I don't think so," Mikado whispered back. At least, he'd hoped it had nothing to do with the Dollars, even though a tiny part of him disagreed with that. "I think...it has something to do with Yagiri-kun's..."

"Attention to all distinguished guests who are attending this promotional event," the voice from the PA system cut in, prompting Mikado and Masaomi to redirect their attention to the empty space in the front that had been barricaded with the promise to continue their discussion later. "Attention to all distinguished guests who are attending this promotional event. Thank you for taking the time to come down to Tower Records this early afternoon. We sincerely apologise for the wait. Please give a warm welcome to Kujikawa Rise-san, who is..."

The announcer's voice quickly turned muffled when the crowd gave their cheers and applause upon seeing the teen idol Risette and her manager being led to the raised platform by a security guard. The girl was wearing the most elegant casual dress Mikado had ever seen, the kinds that could only be found under the labels of well-known international brands in departmental stores. A sleeveless, pale pink dress below a layer of translucent, white frills covering the upper torso and ending at her wrists, acting like a shawl or a cardigan depending on how one looked at it, with a matching choker that had the idol's stage name embroidered with golden thread. Atop her wavy, dark brown hair was a visor, looking like a headband from afar. Risette – or, as the announcer had mentioned, Kujikawa Rise – was also wearing neon pink heels, as well as plain, sandy brown anklets which Mikado couldn't help but take notice of when she raised one of her legs and twirled, making a full spin before she waved an enthusiastic greeting to everyone present.

Apparently, that was all it took for the fans to cheer again, waving their boards and unlit lightsticks in the air, all while being mindful of their surroundings, which happened to be the next thing Risette said after saying hello and thanking her fans for turning up at the event.

"I understand you're all excited. And so am I! But this isn't a concert or anything, so let's all try to keep it low for the other Tower Records customers, okay?" she requested, sounding exactly like how Mikado imagined a pop idol of her age would.

"She's even cuter in real life," Masaomi blurted out, sighing dreamily to himself.

"You haven't been to any of her concerts?" Mikado asked.

"Nope," Masaomi said, and then went on to explain even as Rise was addressing the crowd, "When I first heard of Risette, it was when she announced her break from showbiz and songs and...basically, all that idol stuff. I wasn't really interested back then, though. But for the past year, after she said she was going to make her comeback, they've been churning out stuff after stuff related to her, and the fanbase kinda exploded so...I got a little curious."

Mikado's eyes widened slightly. "So all these people are her old supporters from before she announced her break?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, but it's possible." Masaomi shrugged. "She did make quite a splash when she first started her idol work, apparently. An immediate big hit, from what I heard. She even mentioned in one of her recent interviews that she still received letters from her fans even when she was having her break, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are a couple of them around."

"Huh..." Mikado hummed thoughtfully as he returned his attention to the idol, still wondering what it was about Kujikawa Rise in particular that drew all these people, including Masaomi, in. For Hanejima Yuuhei and Hijiribe Ruri, he could sort of understand the appeal, but there had to be some kind of quality that only Risette had that the others didn't, such that her fanbase could still "explode" in the way Masaomi described even after her hiatus. Considering the nature of the everyday life here in the city, and the nature of the media industry especially, it was a little hard to believe that there were still this many people – and possibly even more – who continued to devote time and attention to a young, and likely to be less experienced, figure like Kujikawa.

Or maybe it was precisely because of her youth that made her special, in a sense. After all, most people her age would still be schooling and studying for future careers that they weren't guaranteed of, yet here was somebody who was supposed to be just like them, already making a big name for herself.

When he thought of it that way, Mikado could begin to understand Risette's popularity.

"But... How old is Kujikawa-san, anyway?" The question left his lips before Mikado even realised what he was saying.

"Whoa, that's a bit too sudden of a question," Masaomi mixed his laughter with his words. "But I don't blame you. You haven't heard much of Risette before this, after all."

"A-ah, I was just... I didn't..."

"Relax, Mikado, it's a legit question. I mean, it's not brought up that often, but when it is Risette doesn't mind revealing her age. She even gave her golden-trio measurements once. Isn't she awesome?" With a mischievous, toothy grin, the blonde raised a thumbs-up, holding the board in his other hand which he also used to attempt to make a similar gesture.

Mikado refrained from labelling this as yet another of Masaomi's square root three moments, and simply gave an embarrassed smile.

"Anyway, she's eighteen," Masaomi said. "Exactly our age."

"Ah..." Mikado breathed, though it sounded like a gasp coming from him.

"Surprised? I was too, when I first found out."

Mikado would've been inclined to agree, if not for the fact that Masaomi's voice was tight as he spoke those seemingly normal words, and if not for the fact that he knew why Masaomi had sounded like that.

It was at this point, when both Mikado and Masaomi had nothing much to add to the topic any further, that the high school students noticed that the crowd has gone silent, the only voice that could be heard being Kujikawa Rise's own melodic singing. She wasn't using a microphone, and was doing a few dance steps to the beat of the song, which Mikado figured was a live performance of one of the songs in Risette's upcoming album. Even in the dress and heels she was wearing, the idol's movements weren't compromised in the least, her hands and feet moving fluidly and her voice remaining steady and smooth, giving no indication that she was getting out of breath.

And as he watched and listened intently, Mikado was stricken with a realisation and understanding.

Kujikawa Rise, who was of the same age as Mikado, Masaomi and Anri, was living a life that most ordinary people couldn't. And she was completely comfortable in her own skin, the face of the popular teen idol Risette who was loved and adored by many, even when she left the scene. Though Mikado hadn't any idea of what her reasons for leaving could've been, the fact that Kujikawa decided to return to her life as an idol after a momentary retreat into the everyday life that most teenagers led still remained, and she was met with not only her previous group of fans, but an expanded one that encompassed her new fans who were just as passionate about her.

 _'It must be nice,'_ Mikado mused, giving a few weak claps when the song ended. _'Kujikawa-san...probably had problems of her own, when she decided to take a break. But in the end, she returned, happily. That's something I...'_

As the thought ran through his head, Mikado looked in Masaomi's direction, and when he saw the bright eyes and genuine smile on his best friend's face, he inwardly shook it away.

 _'No, even if I can't do that, it's fine.'_ The founder of the Dollars allowed his lips to curl into a small smile. _'I'm happy this way. Being with Masaomi and Sonohara-san, having a normal high school life with them... It seemed impossible, back then, to experience this again. So... I'm happy. I'm satisfied.'_

Mikado repeated that thought in his head over and over, trying to ignore anything that contradicted it, and inwardly nodded to himself when he finally felt his emotions and thoughts settling down.

"All right, show's over, kiddies."

"Wha--?!"

Rise's exclamation was cut off halfway when a man in a suit and sunglasses – one of the security guards, Mikado recognised with a choked gasp – grabbed her from behind and held a gun to her temple. Almost instantaneously, the fans present for the event, as well as Rise's manager, all gave a roar of surprise and fear. As most of the crowd attempted to flee, the other security guards present stepped up to talk to their colleague, just as baffled as everybody else.

"What the hell..." Mikado could hear Masaomi mutter under his breath, the two of them staying rooted in their place as streams of people rushed past them.

"M-Masaomi, what should we do?" Mikado asked timidly, feeling a little breathless as he caught a glimpse of Rise struggling in the man's grip; he could feel and hear the thumping of his heart in his ears.

"Isn't it obvious?" Masaomi tugged onto Mikado's sleeve, and turned in the direction of the exit. "We need to leave. Now.”

"Eh?! But Masaomi—!"

"We can't do anything in a situation like this. We have to leave it to the other security guards to settle this."

"B-but... Kujikawa-san is..."

"She'll be fine. Just keep thinking that, believe in it, and get the hell outta here."

"We can't just—"

"Dammit, Mikado," Masaomi bit out, reaching out to hold Mikado by the shoulders. "This isn't something we should get ourselves involved in. That guy's _got a gun to her head._ Do you seriously think high school kids like us can do anything about it?"

Mikado drew in a sharp breath and fell utterly silent, unable to think of anything to refute Masaomi, because he knew – as much as he didn't like admitting it – that Masaomi was right. That ultimately, even though they once held unique positions and reputations in the colour gang world, they were still at their core high school students who were as powerless before a gun as any other ordinary person.

And that thought alone cut into him more deeply than he had expected.

"...Okay," Mikado relented quietly, resigning himself to be led away from the scene by his childhood friend.

But just as the two of them were about to reach the stairs, they heard someone yell at the top of his voice:

"What the hell are you talking about?! Isn't our current boss the one you're holding in your hands?!"

"She's _your_ current boss, Takayama. Not mine." Mikado and Masaomi had already taken a few steps down when they heard Rise give a choked cry, the sound of the barrel of the gun being pushed even further into her temple. "The boss I need to answer to...isn't Risette or any of the other clients we've protected before.”

“Wh-what?”

“The boss – the head of the Dollars… that's who I'm really accountable to."

Mikado felt his blood run deathly cold as he momentarily forgot how to breathe.

Masaomi’s grip on his wrist tightened considerably.


	40. Interlude: Kokoro wo Shibaru Ai no Kotoba

Sonohara Anri was eleven when her parents died; her father, by her mother's hands, and her mother, by her mother's own.

Since then, she had closed off her heart, sealed her own emotions deep within herself, and lived her life with the belief that she would no longer be able to love anyone. Because if she allowed herself that sort of luxury – the privilege that other normal people had – then she would also have to accept the possibility that the people she'd dared to love could someday leave her behind like her parents once did. That the people she'd dared to love without the aid of the demon sword inhabiting her body may someday be subject to that very demon's own way of loving them if she wasn't careful. That she did not know how to love, and so it could take a potentially twisted spin and end in the same manner as her mother's did. That...

There were many reasons why Anri could not love other people, including herself. And ironically enough, it was because of this that she was able to absorb the essence of a demon and not fall prey to its sweet-sounding promises of love for the entirety of the human race. They worked well together, Anri would admit. She had lost the ability to love; Saika was capable of providing an all-encompassing and unconditional love. She watched the world as a series of picture frames, denying her own personal involvement in the world itself; Saika spread its love through direct contact with human skin and implanting a portion of itself into the humans it cut, an undeniable mark of its presence, in a sense a medium for her to interact the world with. She no longer viewed herself as human; Saika said it didn't hate her regardless.

In some ways, Anri would even say that Saika was more human than she was. She'd also say that, despite all their differences, they were rather similar. After all, neither of them could really live without humans, and they were both aware of this fact. And that was why she did not mind the demon's presence within her. Never questioning it, never paying it the attention it wanted, never using it when it begged her to.

Until she entered Raira Academy.

***

[We're here.]

"...Yes."

Anri gave a whisper of acknowledgement as she carefully slid off Shooter.

Celty tapped on the screen of her PDA.

[I don't want to force you into doing this, Anri-chan.]

The wielder of Saika understood what that meant.

"It's fine, Celty-san. I...want to do this." Then she raised her head slightly, looking straight into the visor where Celty's eyes could've been if the Dullahan had them. "I won't back down...not when something this horrible is happening."

Celty regarded her for a moment, then kept the device and nodded silently. Thereafter she cloaked the both of them, as well as Shooter and the supposedly dead Izaya who were both parked somewhere inconspicuous, with a shadow blanket, snuck past the security guard at the main entrance of the university when his back was turned, and pulled the shadow back into herself only when she was certain that they were out of sight of anyone in the vicinity. The Dullahan then took out her PDA and kept its screen lit as she led the way around the campus to reach the area allocated to the Arts and Social Sciences faculty according to the directions provided.

As it was just slightly past one in the afternoon, there weren't that many students wandering about the lecture theatres and classrooms, which made it easier for Celty and Anri to find their destination without attracting too much unnecessary attention. Deciding that taking the lift could make their presence noticed, the pair headed for the stairs instead, and hurriedly climbed up to the second floor.

Celty pushed the door open.

"Ahh, you've finally arrived."

—and promptly slammed it shut when a complete stranger immediately greeted them.

Instinctively, Anri stepped back, being careful not to accidentally fall backwards and down the stairs, as Celty started forging her scythe from the streams of black flowing from the openings of her sleeves. At the same time, the man they had never met before opened the door slowly, and raised a casual, friendly hand with a suspiciously sweet smile on his stubby, angular face.

"Relax, dears. I'm on your side," he said, though it didn't serve to convince Celty and Anri any. His voice was like the weaving threads of silk through a mill, and possessed a similar quality as the waters flowing down a stream from a mountain spring, the kind of voice that one could only otherwise describe as jaded and profound. And the owner of said voice matched it almost perfectly: smooth, silvery hair with a slight golden sheen, a beard that was growing and enough for him to stroke, and faint wrinkles around his squinted eyes and the thin edges of his lips.

He was also dressed in a plain, long-sleeved shirt and tie and pants. Normal clothes that any working male would wear. Upon closer inspection, he looked very much like a faculty member of the university. A professor, most likely; one whom apparently knew their purpose in coming here.

Celty had been staring at him. Then, with a swing of her arms, the scythe that was in the middle of being moulded disappeared in a cloud of smoke as she brought out her PDA. [How do we know we can trust you?]

"Easy there, Headless Rider-san. No need to get all uptight," the elderly man chuckled, addressing the Dullahan as though she were like a wild animal to be tamed. "In any case, I didn't expect you or Sonohara-chan to trust me at our first meeting. Even I'm aware that that's a ridiculous notion to believe in. Well, anyway, I was asked by a close friend to assist you in your current mission. Which, if I remember correctly, has something to do with the peculiar fog that has set in?"

Celty's shoulders squared. [...And where did you hear that from, exactly?]

"Like I said, a close friend who wants to remain unseen at the moment. I believe they even told you that revealing their sources would be too telling about their identity, and to just settle for the fact that they had their way around technology." The professor's smile widened. "Because they once told me the same thing."

While Celty quietly assessed the man who had claimed to be an ally, Anri simply tuned out of the exchange as she always did, leaving Saika as her eyes and only firm attachment to the reality she detached from on reflex. She could feel the demon swimming inside her, coiling around her entire being like there was a serpent slithering from within. It almost seemed that Saika was...squirming, somewhat. It had been doing so since Celty approached her earlier, actually, but the intensity of the struggle seemed to have grown when the elderly man made his surprise greeting.

Almost…like the time Anri confronted Izaya.

But it wasn't to the same degree, when Anri reflected on it. No, instead it felt more like...when those two people dropped by the classroom the other day, asking Mikado about the town and televisions. Rather than being repulsed or disgusted, like Saika felt for Izaya, it was unsettled and even distressed, as though the man standing before them was a threat Saika needed to get away from. Anri wasn't sure if she should be concerned about that.

[What do you think, Anri-chan?]

"Eh?" Anri was shocked out of her stupor when she noticed the screen before her eyes.

[Are you okay with trusting this man?] Celty typed.

Anri kept her eyes on the screen, then slowly shifted her head to the side to steal a glimpse of the stranger, felt the demon sword curl into itself, and returned her attention to the device.

"I...don't know."

[I see. Okay.] Celty then erased the message, and quickly wrote up another as she turned and showed the elderly man the screen of her PDA. [I'm sorry, as convincing as you may sound, I think neither of us is entirely comfortable with you just yet. But we'll listen to what you have to say, at least.]

The professor chortled. "I wasn't expecting any less. In fact, that happens to be the form of assistance I've been told to offer you with. Come with me for a moment."

As the man stepped back, he released his hold on the door handle, and the door swung back and forth for a bit. The visor of Celty's helmet met with Anri's eyes. Then, with a reassuring nod, the Dullahan was the first to step forward, and pushed on the door. She exited the stairway first, and left the door open with enough space for Anri to then follow, but not without some wariness and hesitation on her part.

"Tell me," the professor spoke, right at the moment Anri entered the hallway, "what do you see?"

Celty and Anri looked around for a few seconds. "...Notice boards," the bespectacled girl said, making sure to control her stuttering even though she could not entirely keep the shakiness out of her voice. "Posters... Classrooms... And lecture theatres...?"

It was her first time seeing those, she realised. She had heard about how different the university system worked from what she was used to, mainly about how universities conducted lectures, which sounded like a large-scale version of how teachers taught in school. It made sense for such lectures, which were meant to be delivered to a big group of students, to be held in specially designated places designed for that purpose, but looking at the lecture theatres here, it was hard to say if they could really fit that many people.

In particular, the one on the right appeared remarkably small compared to the lecture theatre on the left.

The silver-haired man nodded, stroking his beard. "Anything about those lecture theatres that strikes you as odd or unusual?"

[Not...exactly, no. Other than the one on the right looking a lot smaller.]

"I see," he mumbled, sounding mildly disappointed. Though what he said next indicated nothing of that. "Then you have indeed come to the right place. Congratularions to the both of you, as well as Orihara-kun. I suppose it is my former student's good fortune to have you as his acquaintances."

"Former...student?" As soon as the words left Anri's lips, Celty had typed out the exact same thing, echoing her. But neither made mention of the later half of the comment.

"Orihara-kun, I mean," the professor clarified, wearing a somewhat weary, yet pleased, smile. "He might not have attended most of my lessons, but I have quite the fondness for him, you see. Never have I ever had a student like him...though, it seems I've recently come across one who comes very close. Ah, but please don't tell other people I said that. It's a little embarrassing."

[Well that's, um... I'm not sure if I should be saying this, but your fondness might be a little misplaced.]

"Hah hah! I was expecting that kind of response. Well, rest assured that you have nothing to worry about, Headless Rider-san. Though a form of fondness it may be, it doesn't mean I turn a blind eye to the things he's done. I term it 'fondness', but, really, it's simply a word describing how I feel about getting under Orihara-kun's skin. It's so fun teasing and poking him and seeing how he would react. It's even funnier when he tries to keep up that facade of respect around me when it's so obvious that he's annoyed. Mocking him used to be a pastime of mine, when he was still an undergraduate here."

[...Honestly that makes me even more concerned.] Celty showed this only to Anri, who found herself agreeing with the Dullahan. It was a good thing that the professor seemed satisfied with his current way of life, unlike his favourite student who couldn’t seem to have enough.

"Anyway that's all in the past," the man continued, apparently unaware of the message that Celty had typed for Anri to see. "Essentially what I was trying to say is, it'd be a pity to lose Orihara-kun just like that. A lot of people will certainly disagree with me, but I don't think he's that toxic of an existence to the city. If anything, I'd say he's more of...a double-edged sword. One that people have no other alternative but to use when the situation demands it yet are more than happy to discard and live their lives without since it hurts them in the process. You've probably been pushed to a situation where you had to rely on him at some point, so you know what I mean."

Anri couldn't speak for Celty, but she understood to some extent. Even though she didn't exactly rely on him per se, she did have the intention to turn him into a child of Saika after knowing how much of a threat he was to the overall peace and stability of Ikebukuro. If she were to put it in another way, she had once tried to make use of him in order to extract information from him and to keep him at bay if she needed to, but she had failed and only received biting remarks and a war declaration in the end, making even Saika repulsed and uncomfortable. It was like she had reached out to a double-edged sword but dropped it the moment she touched and got cut by it and never tried to pick it up again. Anri had never really thought of it that way before, but when she did, she could sort of see where the professor was coming from.

Ultimately, though, she would still say that the man was more of a poison to the town; the benefits that he offered were most certainly outweighed by the upheavals and harm he caused. Besides, he could create trouble as and when he wanted to, not just under certain circumstances. And without regard for the safety and well-being of other people, too. Even two high school students who had been trying to lead normal lives were not spared.

The mere thought reminded Anri of the feeling she had when she went to meet Izaya that night, with the purpose and intention of leaving Saika's mark on him.

[I suppose.] was all Celty offered to say about the matter, before she moved on to the main issue at hand. [Is there anything else we ought to know?]

"Ah right, right." The professor hummed to himself as he spent a moment or two thinking about it. "The place you're looking for is on the right. Lecture Theatre 21, I believe. Not that I know for sure, since it's supposed to be non-existent. But, since you can see it, it must be the place my friend instructed me to direct you towards. That's all I have for you, I think."

[Thank you very much.] Anri also followed up with a word of gratitude of her own. The elderly man chuckled and raised a hand in a slow wave.

"No need for thanks. In fact, I should be the one thanking you two for taking it upon yourselves to save Ikebukuro. As well as Orihara-kun, of course. But I'm sure the overall safety of the city and her inhabitants is far more important than the life of one man."

[That's not...] In her peripheral vision, Anri could see Celty pause mid-sentence, delete it, and re-type a new message. [Well... You're not entirely wrong.]

"Right? As much as I adore a student like Orihara-kun, I wouldn't go to such an extent to bring him back. Especially not when he's brought this upon himself. Indirectly, of course. As much as he may desire detaching himself from the world and watching people from another plane, he doesn't strike me as someone who would wish for his own existence to be erased. That's a little extreme. But, I guess that just means that our dear flashy villain loves going to the extremes!”

[...Wait just how much did your friend tell you?!]

"Oopsie, I must've said too much. Old age does that to you, regrettably." The professor's shoulders shook as he laughed heartily, holding his stomach with one hand and supporting his back with the other. After he calmed down, he walked towards them, causing Anri to flinch and step back slightly. With a wink and a smile that showed his uneven teeth, he disappeared down the hallway, but not before leaving them with a few more words: "Well then, best of luck to the two of you. Oh and, when my favourite student awakens, tell him that my friend is glad to see him reborn. He'll know what that means, apparently."

[Wait—] Celty had typed, but before she could show the professor her completed message, he was already gone from their sight, as quickly and suddenly as he had appeared before them.

As if on cue, Saika started to loosen up, and resumed its usual whispers of love that Anri naturally ignored as she looked up to Celty and asked, "Celty-san... Is there something else you needed to ask him?"

[...Yes, actually. I only realised it just now.] The Dullahan wrote, slowly and with staggering heaviness. When she finished typing, and showed Anri the screen of her PDA, the bespectacled girl drew in a sharp breath as Saika momentarily recoiled again.

[Why...is he unaffected by the fog in the first place?]

Somehow, Anri had a feeling that she should know the answer.

***

Not long after, Celty and Anri found themselves in the company of yet another strange, old man with an appearance and tone of voice that were much more disconcerting than that of the professor they had met earlier.

"Welcome," this new stranger drawled, craning his head in their direction. He wore an unnaturally wide grin that nearly reached his ears, which were somewhat long and pointed, not unlike those of elves, goblins or imps that were common in fantasy novels. His nose was probably the most outstanding feature, however, being so long and simply not looking like a nose at all that it wouldn't be surprising if he turned out to be non-human.

Saika had also gone deathly silent and motionless the moment Anri met those bloodshot eyes, something that had never happened before in her entire time being the wielder of the demon-possessed blade, and that in itself was enough to send a chill down Anri's spine.

"Please, do not be anxious," the man said each and every word as slowly and carefully as possible. "This realm lies between waking and the unconscious, far removed from the world from which you came, yet not as distant as one might believe it to be. I am Igor, one who has been tasked to serve as a guide to all guests who enter this realm. How may I be of service to you?"

Celty, not entirely sure of how to proceed herself, settled for typing out a message on her PDA, only to tilt her head in confusion as she slapped the device repeatedly on her palm and shook it when nothing seemed to be happening.

"Technology brought in from the reality you dwell in does not function here in the Velvet Room," Igor informed politely while maintaining that same, slightly inhuman smile on his face.

Celty's whole being froze for a moment before she started flailing her arms about in what Anri could recognise as random hand gestures, supposedly to convey whatever she had wanted to say to the man named Igor through them. When Igor did not reply, and simply continued to send that smile in their way, Celty walked up the steps of the platform and repeated her gestures while Anri hurriedly followed.

"I-I think, what Celty-san means to say i-is..." Anri offered to help, hoping she could set Celty at ease.

When the high schooler finished explaining – though not without fumbling over some words especially when the man's gaze seemed to twinkle or harden at the mention of them, his reaction varying depending on the words themselves – Igor gave out a hollow, yet amused, chuckle, which sounded more like he was gasping for air, while leaning forward and rubbing his gloved hands against each other.

"It seems that fate has called the both of you here," he murmured. "The work of an entity, it might be, but the common destiny and hopes shared by mankind continue to stand against it. This must be a sign of the events that are about to unfold. Truly, for nothing meaningless happens in this room..."

"Does...does that mean you are able to help?" Anri voiced Celty's concerns aloud.

"To the best of my ability," Igor confirmed. "But, I cannot interfere with the cogs of fate. If, by a stroke of misfortune, the person you are seeking to save has already lost all ties he has with your reality...there is no other service I can offer to you. I can only lend my assistance in my capacity as a guide, but nothing more than that."

[That's good enough—whoa wait what is this?!]

As if on reflex, Celty took a step back when she noticed her shadows slipping out from her sleeves and forming words in the "air", an occurrence that had Anri mildly startled as well. Hesitantly, the Dullahan reached out for the thick, black lines and, with a twirl of her finger, wrapped them together and then dispersed them out to form new words.

[I didn't know I can do that?!]

"W-well, isn't that great then, Celty-san? Now you can talk to other people in case your PDA doesn't work o-or you don't have pen and paper around?" Anri said, trying to sound comforting.

It seemed to work, for Celty's shoulders sunk a little as though she were heaving a sigh. [Y-yeah, you're right Anri-chan... But still, I wish I could've realised it sooner.] Then, with a stiff wave of her hand, Celty again brought the shadows and had them enveloping her palm before she sent them out to create another message meant for Igor to see. [Anyway, um, as I was saying... Yes, that's good enough, really. I might not like Izaya all that much, but...I still can't just leave him to die. It...doesn't seem fair for his life to end in this manner, especially not when it might be dragging the rest of the city into it. So if there's a way to prevent that, I'll do whatever I can, even if it may end up in failure.]

"Excellent," said Igor. "Now then, let us begin. Allow me to first consult the cards on the path that awaits you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man in the formal, black Western suit stretched his right arm out and made a slow sweep across the round table placed in front of him. What appeared like cards manifested along with his gesture, laid out in a particular arrangement that neither Celty nor Anri recognised, facing flat-down. There were four cards placed horizontally in a straight line right in front of Igor, and six more that were closer to the opposite edge of the table that Celty and Anri stood at, with two of them placed and overlapping at right angles to each other while the remaining four encircled them.

"Do you believe in fortune-telling?" Igor asked, his voice filled with deep wonder and arcane curiosity as he gently placed his hand over the card right in the centre, partially covered by another lying on top of it. "Though the appearance of the cards themselves largely remain unchanged over time, the message contained within them is never quite the same. Let us now see what they wish to say about your current predicament."

Seemingly intrigued, Celty inched closer to have a look as Igor tenderly pulled the card out and flipped it over. And though Anri wouldn't claim to place much – if any – faith in things like fortune-telling, she, too, bent forward nonetheless, and was greeted by a glittering mosaic of a golden wheel against a green background elegantly painted on the surface of the card.

"The Wheel of Fortune, in its upright position." As Igor spoke, he withdrew his hand to rest his nose against it. "This card can mean many things. It whispers and breathes of the wealth and exuberant fortune surrounding you, yet it also warns of the abysmal luck that is sure to follow, like the spin of the wheel of fate in a neverending cycle. What goes up must eventually come down... For the card to be in this position, it means to inform that the shift in fate is currently being felt or experienced not only by yourself, but also for the rest of your hometown."

Celty and Anri did not make any comment on the accuracy of the reading, and simply continued to watch and listen as Igor flipped the card that was once lying on top of the Fortune card.

"The Moon, in its upright position. This card refers to illusions and trickery, deceptions and mysteries... I see."

[...? What does it mean in this case?]

"An obstacle in your path," Igor said, his smile unwavering. "From what you have described of your situation, it may be referring to the fog that is shrouding your town. The Moon may even be impeding on the Wheel's spin, slowing down its wondrous energies as well as the changes it promises for the reality from which you came... Or, it can be interpreted as the very object serving as a catalyst for the changes offered by Fate, the combined energies of the two cards culminating in the predicament of your hometown. However, I must say that even the true meaning itself may be shrouded in mystery... How very intriguing."

Celty considered those words for a moment before waving out another question. [Will removing this...Moon return Ikebukuro back to normal?]

"It might, or it might not," Igor replied cryptically. "The shared purpose of these cards is to bring certain messages to your attention in order to guide you in making the final decision. They are not set in stone, and are all still subject to change, depending on the choices you will make."

Before Celty or Anri could then question the usefulness of such a consultation, Igor continued, "Understanding what the cards are saying can shed more light on the matter than you can possibly imagine. They give you a glimpse, not only into the underlying forces driving the present, but also—" He paused to flip the card below the Moon and the Wheel of Fortune, revealing another mosaic pattern depicting a building struck and destroyed by lightning. "—into the near future."

"The future...?"

"...Ahh, the Tower," Igor said, excitement creeping into his voice. "The divine destruction of external structures, an imminent catastrophe that may strike at any time... It seems that what awaits you after the resolution of the current problem is an unavoidable disaster that has the potential to destroy all that you hold dear."

"A d-disaster?" As Anri recoiled away from the table momentarily, she could feel Saika stirring from within her.

[Do you mean to say that it's only going to get worse, no matter what we do now?] Celty asked, the shadows used to form the words trembling slightly.

"Perhaps," said Igor. "Though it can also mean that a change is upon you and your home, one that is devastating but necessary. Important secrets, for example, may be forced to be brought to light, and facing them might cause you to waver...but, it is vital that you do not lose hope."

While describing his insight and predictions to the two visitors before him, Igor went for the card to the right of the Wheel of Fortune and the Moon, turning it over for Celty and Anri to see. It was a simple illustration of a star with a smiling face against a gradient of blue and purple.

Then, without going into the meaning behind that card like he had for the previous ones, the long-nosed man reached for the leftmost card of the four that had been placed in a straight line. It depicted a shadowy figure standing on one foot with the other leg behind it, with ripples of yellow and white and rings of thorns as the backdrop.

"The reversed Hanged Man, as the card that most accurately describes yourself, or the attitudes that you may bear about the present," Igor said. "Refusal to surrender, an unwilling heart to make the necessary sacrifices... It is best that you pay careful attention to this message, more so than the other cards."

[Um... Why so?]

"While the cards in their reversed positions may signify negative connotations to normally positive meanings, sometimes they are not so straightforward. Especially in a reading such as the one I am giving you, it might be a warning that you need to be – but are not aware of – the sacrifices in your lives that you are strongly encouraged to make in order to reap the benefits awaiting you. What these may be, I do not know. That is something only you can determine on your own. And when you do..."

Igor paused to reach for the rightmost card, and flipped it over. His perpetual grin sunk further into the point where his face and his earlobes met.

"...well. It seems that you can achieve _anything_."

A lone, shadowy figure carrying a travelling sack across his shoulder.

***

When Igor recalled the cards with another sweeping gesture, Celty wrote in the air, [What about the other cards? Why didn't you say something about them, or even show them at all?]

"There is a time for everything," was all Igor said.

[But you even went to the extent of showing us the future. That's plenty revealing enough, unless the other cards are—]

"Indeed," Igor gently interrupted. "While the messages of those cards would surely be beneficial to you, there is, ultimately, no meaning in knowing everything related to your path at this juncture. Relinquish your anxieties, cast aside all doubts... Let your destiny take its course. You will find out what the other cards mean in due time."

Celty didn't seem entirely convinced, but didn't probe further and slowly nodded.

Following this, Igor held out one of his gloved hands. "Now then... The cards have given you a glimpse into your current situation as well as the future that awaits you. Do you still wish to carry on with this path?"

[Yes, of course.] Celty answered without hesitation.

"And how about you?" Igor then asked Anri, who didn't follow Celty's example.

"...I'll do it," the wielder of Saika answered, but clearly not as confident as the Dullahan had been. "It's just...the disaster..."

"Ahh," Igor breathed in seemingly kind understanding, folding his hands and letting his fingers intertwine together again. "But do not forget. As the cards have shown you, there is still hope even in the darkest of times. Sometimes, such disasters are necessary in order for renewal to be possible."

"I-I know," Anri said.

[But renewal...in what sense?]

Igor's smile was both reassuring and unsettling. "It hasn't happened yet, but when it does, you will know." Then, before Celty or Anri could say anything else, he continued, stretching out his hand again, "Now then, are you ready to embrace your future?"

Anri looked over to Celty, who had turned to face her at around the same time, and nodded despite the uneasiness that had settled to the bottom of her gut ever since Igor had predicted the imminent disaster that was destined to happen. The man's words of positivity did nothing to alleviate her worries, and only served to make her all the more anxious for what would happen to Ikebukuro – to her friends, in particular, who would no doubt be involved in this danger. Her first instinct, however, was to withdraw; to retreat into her world of picture frames. It would be too much, if something unthinkable did happen, and nothing she did now could prevent it.

But, that would be selfish.

As Mikado once said to her, when she had confessed that she was only using Mika for her own purposes and didn't want to get involved in a personal friendship with her, Anri was being selfish. Back then, and even now, as she agreed to help Celty. It wasn't to lighten Celty's burden or for a noble cause like saving Ikebukuro from the fog. Not entirely. Anri had agreed only because Mikado and Masaomi were involved, and the last time she decided to ignore whatever was happening to them almost ended terribly. That was when she realised:

She didn't want to lose them, because she needed them. And now that she did, she wanted to get them back.

Ultimately it was a selfish motive, no matter how she looked at it. But that was her way of life, and it had always been so since she was eleven.

So Anri nodded and then brought Saika's blade out into the open, despite her concerns about the fraught-filled future awaiting them. She knew that, even with what she was going to do, it wasn't going to be the end of her involvement in whatever was happening to Ikebukuro, but for her own selfish reasons, she wasn't going to hide behind her picture frames anymore. At least, not until she could be sure that nothing was going to happen to Mikado and Masaomi.

"Excellent," Igor complimented, sounding like he was purring as Anri faced him with bright red eyes. "With a demon as your ally – and one with a _connection_ , at that – I have faith that you will do marvellously."

"A...connection?" Anri murmured with a cautious edge to her voice. Even with Saika's physical form in her hands, the demon itself was being strangely quiet, but seemed to moan a little when Igor mentioned the word.

"All in due time," Igor said. "Now... Your task has been made quite simple, thankfully, due to the nature of this realm. Simply concentrate on the sword in your hands, and imagine it dissolving into fragments and scattering all around you. Considering the nature of your demon ally, that shouldn't be too difficult to achieve."

Saika didn't seem particularly fond of that idea, but Anri fought back its squirms and did as Igor instructed. First, she stared hard at the katana, until the extensive and endless splash of blue in the room started to blur, and then she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she tried to shut out all her other thoughts and focus on visualising what Igor had described.

"Well done," she could hear the ragged elation in the man's voice as he spoke, and Anri almost snapped her eyes open when it made her realise that Saika's weight had mysteriously vanished from her hands. "As for the next step...try to imagine all of those dispersed particles coming back together, reforging the sword. As you do so, think back to the situation your reality is in, imagine that there are similar particles that have been spread throughout the realm, and draw those back in, as well. Keeping in mind that your end result is the same sword, nothing more than that."

Anri could feel herself giving a nod, and attempted to follow the instructions as closely and precisely as she could. In her mind's eye, she saw Ikebukuro, saw the fog that enveloped it and the sparkling red particles like dust concentrated in the mist, saw people walking and working and simply leading ordinary lifestyles completely unaware of the fog's presence. She saw Mikado and Masaomi, chatting among themselves cheerfully and without worry, with red particles dancing about in their eyes and glistening as though they were mocking the boys and the other townspeople for their sheer ignorance of their existence.

Anri pulled.

Her body immediately gave a slight jerk as some kind of force kicked her in the gut, which elicited a gasp when she felt herself shuddering. There were voices, she realised, voices she didn't recognise roaring and blaring into her ears, making her heart thump wildly against her chest and her fingers and toes tingle. It was far worse than any of Saika's usual hushed ramblings of love or inhuman shrieks of cutting and carving its love into other people.

Another gasp left her lips without her intending to when they pressed against her from within, forcing her to her knees.

Anri felt hands on her shoulders, trying to pull her up. She didn't need to open her eyes and see who they belonged to, but she tried opening them nonetheless. Only to find that she couldn't. It was like her eyes had been sealed shut, and nothing she did could pry them open.

_"It's okay..."_

Her breathing stilled when she heard a distinct voice, clearer than any of the others drumming against her head, murmur to her as though it were humming.

_"It's okay... You don't have to be afraid anymore... I'm here, I'm here..."_

"Who are...you...?" Anri strained to reply, but she was beginning to doubt if that had even been spoken aloud in the first place.

_"It matters not who I am, just that I am here now... So you don't have to be scared anymore."_

The other voices started to become more and more distant as the more this one spoke, yet it still sounded as if there were at least two voices – one male, one female – whispering into her ears. The ripples of pain that accompanied the sudden rush of the voices were still difficult to ignore, and in fact seemed to intensify when most of the voices faded into the back of her head.

 _'I'm not here... I'm not here...'_ she told herself, over and over, a habit of hers that she had learned to rely on ever since the day a drunken man's punches and kicks became part of her past everyday life.

_"That's right, my dear Anri-chan, you're not. And now you have me. Leave this to me, and everything will be fine. Just go to sleep...and fall into blissful ignorance."_

Even though she hadn't the faintest idea who it was that had been talking to her, Anri was inclined to believe their words, and continued retreating further and further into her world of picture frames and distant voices. But just as the pain was on the brink of disappearing, a violent shake startled her back into reality, with everything slamming right into her all over again. Her eyelids flew open, and she came face-to-face with a familiar yellow helmet, its visor staring back at her.

"C-Celty-san...what—"

[Don't.] The Dullahan was writing, but Anri's body was shaking so badly she could barely make out what the words were. [Don't you dare give in, Anri-chan. Remember, that thing is just like Saika. If you listen to it, what will become of you? What would become of Mikado, or Masaomi-kun?]

Anri's eyes widened slightly. Vague memories of lunches on the school rooftop, outings to various places in Ikebukuro, and unproductive study sessions in the library surfaced in her mind, fighting against the multitude of voices that attempted to screech them away but to no avail.

"Wh-what..."

[You can't give in, Anri-chan. How would Mikado and Masaomi-kun feel if that happened? They need you as much as you do them. And Mika-chan... The way Mika-chan is right now, she needs you, too. And me, Shinra, Shizuo, Akane-chan... If anything happened to you, how do you think we'll all feel?]

"I..." Anri drew in a shaky breath, pushing down on the internal storm that had been going on a rampage. "I was... I am..."

[Stay strong, Anri-chan. I'm so sorry you have to go through this, and I'm so sorry for what I'm about to say, but I know you can pull through. I know you can do it. That's why I knew I could rely on you to help me.]

Anri froze at that, or at least she'd tried to, but she couldn't stop the spasms that her body was being forced to experience.

 _'Celty-san...is depending on me.'_ That was the first thought that distinctly flashed in her mind, amidst all the chaos. _'Everyone is...depending on me. Me...who has been relying on them all this time_ _…_ _b_ _ecause I can_ _’_ _t live on my own._ _’_

With her emotions crippled and pushed aside, she knew she couldn't live a normal human life. That was why she had to rely on other people, to make use of them so that they could live out the human aspects of her life for her own sake. Even Saika was merely one of her many tools just to get by.

Yet those people...had been relying on her, too. Even though some of them knew who she was, and how she was like as a person, they still wanted her around. That was something Anri still couldn't fathom to this day, and she wasn't sure if she actually wanted to know the reasons at all in the first place.

But, those kinds of people existed. That was all she needed to know.

 _'I...can't love myself,'_ she thought, lowering her scarlet gaze to the blue carpeted floor. _'But there are people...who accept me. There are people...who don't doubt me.'_

_"And there are people like me, Anri-chan. People who accept, trust, and love you. I love you, I love you..."_

_'I believe you,'_ Anri replied. _'I know...you didn't mean anything bad when you told me...to ignore everything that's happening. You just didn't want me to be in any pain...like how_ I _don't want to be.'_

_"That's right... Because you don't have to. You don't have to go through pain, or suffering. Humans don't have to feel the pain of facing themselves. As long as you all turn your eyes away and ignore it, you won't feel anything but happiness. Isn't that what you humans want...? Isn't that what people have been looking for? I can provide it... I can provide the happiness that humans need. You just have to turn to me...just look to me for help...and forget it all."_

_'Maybe so, but...'_ Anri paused, and looked at her hands, palms open wide in front of her. _'But... If I... If we ignore everything for our own selfish reasons, there's nothing we're actually happy about.'_

_"No, there is, there is... If you just listen to me, you'll see, you'll understand..."_

Anri shook her head sadly.

"You really are...just like Saika."

The voices fell silent as the blade reformed in her hands.

***

Sonohara Anri was eleven when her parents died; her father, by her mother's hands, and her mother, by her mother's own.

Ever since then, she had closed off all her emotions, pretending they never existed, and learned to rely on other people in order to survive. In that regard, she wasn't much different from any other parasite, and she knew it was a despicable way to live. But to her, it was necessary.

She had even learned to rely on a demon to love other people on her behalf, knowing fully well that she was incapable of doing so herself, and that this demon's form of love was something far beyond the universally accepted definition of the word. Her mindset had changed, though, after entering Raira Academy and, more specifically, meeting two particular people there. Or to be even more precise, she had met them in the streets of Ikebukuro, on the first day of school, and things were never quite the same since then.

Sonohara Anri was fifteen when she met them, sixteen when they nearly disappeared entirely from her life, and seventeen when she lost and then brought them back. Along with another entity that wasn't exactly human now taking up residence within her body, fused together with the demon that she has had with her since she was eleven when her parents died.

"...You know," Yosuke said, breaking the silence, "you and Marie-chan really should get to know one another one of these days. I think she'd love to meet you."

Anri smiled, and said that she would consider it.


	41. Dry Harbinger III

**April 28, 2013**

**At an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

Upon hearing the door slam right after Shinra made his exit, Izaya curiously turned in its direction, and allowed a smile to creep into his features when his eyes landed on the familiar figure standing before him.

"Ah, so you're back from your little vacation already. Really, Namie-san, I know you're spectacularly skilled at getting things done quickly, but you didn't have to cut your own holiday short. How was it, by the way? Saw anything of interest to you?"

A corner of the woman's lips twitched as she marched over to his bedside. "It's not a vacation if I'm there for a purpose that's anything but relaxing," she stated bluntly.

"Oh? That's sad to hear. I thought Inaba was supposed to be a quaint, little town – the perfect getaway for you during this difficult period of time."

"Drop the disgusting innocent act, Izaya. I need you to clarify something about a very important matter, and you'd better think twice about lying to me if you want that _thing_ back."

The information broker regarded her with a look that was somewhat wary and delighted at the same time. Then, with the insincere smile still plastered on his face, Izaya closed his fingers around the pills in his hand and lithely slid it beneath the blanket, resting his chin on his other free arm.

"Well then, what troubles you so much that you would cut your holiday short just to see me?" he asked, using a slightly mocking tone which Namie pointedly ignored.

"It's about this," she said, showing her former employer the video that she had played for the other people that had gathered in the apartment earlier on. While Izaya watched it, Namie evaluated his expressions, gestures, micro-expressions, and anything else she could pick up from observing him, but found nothing she could call substantial. "Do you recall ever seeing it?"

Izaya waited until the video stopped playing before he answered, the words dancing off his lips like a cat leaping off a fence, "I might have."

Namie stopped herself when she felt that her eyes were about to narrow, suddenly all too aware of this particular habit of hers that she was prone to do whenever she encountered anything that was nasty, distasteful, and basically pissed her off.  "When," she demanded.

"Around two weeks ago? I mean, it couldn't have been yesterday or the day before or...well, you'd know, if Shinra told you."

"...So I was right. You did keep this from me."

Izaya laughed. "Whoa, you look murderous."

"I don't just look it, I'll have you know."

Her former employer didn't seem fazed by that. "Hey, before you consider seriously killing me, maybe you'd also like to factor in the fact that I only received that video _after_ you left for Inaba?" he suggested.

"As if that changes a thing."

"Well, true enough," the informant replied, grinning. "So, was that all you came to ask me for? I have to say, that's a pretty flimsy reason to end your vacation so prematurely. Or was nice little Inaba not to your liking?"

"For the last time, I didn't go there for a vacation," Namie snapped. "I went there because _you_ had the gall to tell me that I'd be able to find clues about my brother's murderer there."

"And, let me guess, it wasn't that you didn't manage to, it was more of you didn't believe what you had been told. Goodness, Namie, I thought you were smarter than that."

The woman's jaw tightened. "Hard to trust a person's words when he turned out to be even more detestable than you are." She paused here, before pulling her shoulders into a shrug. "But then again he probably reacted the way he did because of something you once did to him in the past, so my impression of you still remains unchallenged."

"As cruel as always, Namie-san, to consider me more detestable than even a murderer," Izaya sang merrily.

"It's not like you really care," she scoffed, mostly to herself.

The information broker simply allowed his smile to widen despite the remark his former secretary had made. "Well then, let's try to make this a little more interesting, shall we? How about we switch roles? You can tell me what you've heard from Adachi-san, and I'll do my best to listen and, maybe, give a little input here and there. You can be the informant in this case, in other words."

"...That horrid doctor was right," Namie muttered, her voice lowering until it nearly sounded like the one she had used when she had been under the guise of a man. "You really _don't_ know what's happening."

"Why, you wound me, Namie-san. Just because I made that suggestion doesn't mean I haven't any idea about what's going on. Quite the contrary, in fact."

"Oh?" the woman replied, though she didn't sound any less dispassionate. She pretended to roll her eyes to the right, and continued in her usual tone, "Huh. I suppose so. After all, you did know that someone other than Heiwajima Shizuo and myself was trying to kill you, at the very least."

"That I did," Izaya confirmed, beaming like a child on Boxing Day. "Ah but then again, what else is new, right?"

"Right," Namie said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes for real this time; for someone who abhorred the idea of death taking him away from being with his "precious" humans, her former employer was being a little too cheerful in the way he talked about the attempted murder for Namie's taste. Not that anything about the man had even been pleasant at all in the first place, though.

She bluntly pointed that out, and was met with his usual annoying laughter.

"Well, can you really blame me? After all, I've met my fair share of people who would resort to interesting measures to take my life, but this... This is something I never expected." As he said this, there was a strange sort of twinkling in his auburn eyes, giving off a sense of delight that could only be described as distant and ruddy. "To think that there can be someone who would go to such elaborate lengths... It makes me want to laugh just thinking about it."

"Even if that someone might not be human?"

The light in the informant's eyes flickered slightly, but his smile never faltered, and neither did he miss a beat in responding, "Ah, so you did know about that. Though, then again, I shouldn't be surprised that you do; I _did_ tell you about Adachi-san, after all."

"...So we're back to talking about that person again," Namie sighed tiredly. "Just answer me straight, Izaya. And no more digressing." The man shifted his shoulders in a somewhat awkward but flippant shrug. Namie then proceeded with her question that she had a feeling she knew the answer to, "Why did you keep something like this from me?"

The chuckle that immediately followed only served to intensify that feeling. "Because it wouldn’t have changed anything," Izaya said. "I mean, even without the video, you were already convinced that Mika-chan deserved some form of punishment for – well, for lack of a better term – betraying your dear brother, and that punishment had already been carried out by none other than yourself. The video would be nothing more than your justification for your actions in physical form. Well, digital, to be more exact, but you get the idea.

"Anyway, just think about it. If you did learn about the video right after leaving for Inaba but prior to your arrival there or your meeting with Adachi-san, would it have changed the actions you were about to take? Haven’t you already said so yourself earlier that it wouldn’t have changed a thing?”

Against her better judgement, Namie considered Izaya's words carefully, and found herself begrudgingly arriving at the same conclusion. After all, she had that traitorous girl's throat cut on the principle that she had failed to discharge her duty towards Seiji; the video would've only served as evidence of that disloyalty, the act of abandoning Seiji when her life was at stake. The justification for Namie's earlier actions towards the girl, in other words. It was only after the meeting with Adachi – and what a fantastic experience that was – and failing to find any credible clues that Namie would've looked at the video in another light, taking it as possible proof of Harima's involvement in orchestrating Seiji's murder.

_‘_ _But_ _…_ _That can_ _’_ _t just be it._ _’_

Orihara Izaya was not the kind of person who would deliberately keep such vital information from a client who had specifically requested for him to give her any piece of information he might have. Working as his secretary had opened her eyes to how Izaya carried out his business, and so Namie knew that in dealing with him she had to be precise in her requests lest he found loopholes that he could make use of and turn around against her. And especially since her beloved brother was involved, she couldn’t afford to make mistakes that she should not be making.

Moreover, Izaya wasn’t the kind of person who would withhold something that he knew could potentially incite some sort of reaction in the humans he liked to observe, no matter how certain he was of whether there would be a reaction at all. He was more of the kind of bastard who would slip interesting bits of information, tell his clients “It’s up to you to decide what you want to do now that you know” and then sit back and watch what would happen from there.

No, there was definitely something else about the video that Izaya was not telling her. And whatever it was, it was good enough a reason for him to keep mum about.

So Namie looked at him coldly, and said, “You’re not being honest with me.”

“Aren’t I? But I’ve been nothing but honest up till now.”

“Stop wasting my time. What else are you not telling me?”

“…Well, I wonder,” Izaya replied, shrugging. “What do you think it is, Namie-san?”

Namie turned swiftly on her heel and headed for the door.

"Aww, leaving already? But I haven't seen you in weeks. There's much we need to catch up on."

"There’s nothing I want to say to—"

The phone rang, cutting Namie off.

With a brief, tired sigh, the former head of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals held her cell phone to her ear as she continued walking towards the door. "Talk," she whispered harshly, and in the next few seconds she was silent.

She closed the door at around the same time she let out a hiss, leaving the self-proclaimed lover of humans alone to guess and imagine the expression on her face.

"... _What?_ "

***

While Sonohara was giving a short recount of her side of the story, Teddie had chosen that time to leave the room Orihara had been staying in and dive straight for the empty space between Souji and Yosuke on the couch. The pair as well as the others of the Investigation Team, who had been listening intently, nearly startled at the seemingly sudden reappearance of the blonde; Yosuke, in particular, was close to leaping up from his seat when he had sensed some kind of presence next to him.

"Holy shi—Teds, don't go scaring people like that! It's bad enough that you like randomly popping out from the closet back when we were sharing a room," the brunet complained, folding his arms as he shot his former roommate a sharp look.

"Aww grow a spine already, Hanamura," Chie said. Yosuke didn't look like he appreciated that advice very much.

"Anyway," Yukiko spoke up, before the two could slip into their usual banter, "how did it go, Teddie-kun? Is...everything alright?"

Teddie heaved a heavy sigh. "I don't know," he said. "I...thought I remembered something, again. But then, I got a headache and forgot what it was that I remembered."

"Lighten up, Ted, it'll come back to you sometime," Kanji said encouragingly, flashing Teddie a warm smile.

The bear, however, did not appear to be comforted by his words. "But I don't want to remember, Kanji. The memory – it's what hurt me, I think, and the headache means it's happening. It's really, really happening, and I...I'm scared. I mean, that...that other Teddie said—"

"Teddie," Souji spoke, resting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "It's alright. Don't push yourself too much. Whatever happens, and whatever your remaining memories may be, you're still our friend, and you'll always be one."

Almost instantly Teddie raised his head, facing Souji directly. Tears welled up in his baby blue eyes. "Se... Sensei...!"

Yosuke chuckled. "Geez, so _that's_ what you were worried about? Dude haven't we been through this already? Ow!"

"Hanamura. Atmosphere. Read it."

"Well you didn't have to hit me to make a point!"

Yukiko snorted, and covered her mouth right at the moment she was about to break into her hyena-like laughter, which as a result came out sounding like she was spitting into her own hand. She ended up laughing even harder until she was close to wheezing. The effect was contagious, and soon the room's atmosphere brightened and twirled with the seven adolescents' smiles and laughter.

It was only when Souji and Naoto both remembered that they were not the only ones present that the level of cheer was toned down. "I apologise, Sturluson-san, Sonohara-san and Yagiri-san. That was unbecoming of us..."

Teddie gave an exaggerated gasp. "Especially Anri-chan! Ahhh I'm so sorry, Anri-chan for barging in like that!"

"E-eh? It's not a problem at all, Teddie-san. P-please don't apologise," Anri was quick to respond, before falling silent, unsure of what else to say to reassure the blue-eyed blonde.

Celty filled in for her. [Yes, no need for apologies Naoto-chan. It makes me glad, actually, to see you all so happy.] She waited for the Investigation Team to settle down and acknowledge her message before she continued typing. [If you don't mind me asking, though... Why the strong reaction, Teddie-kun? Did something happen to Izaya? Is that why Shinra isn't out yet?]

"Oh, don't worry Cel-chan, Izaya's awake and well, except for a fever!" Teddie said, beaming like his usual self again. "Shinra said he wanted to talk to Izaya for a bit, and so I stepped out first. That headache was pretty bad." Then, almost as if the earlier words of comfort from his friends weren't effective in the least, his face fell again. "And, uh, 'bout that... Mmmnn it might take a really long time to explain..."

"Basically that Orihara Izaya is finally awake?" Namie cut in, already on her feet. "Sure took his own sweet time. Another thing to add to my list of grievances that he's caused me."

"Ahhh wait Nami-chan, Shinra said—"

" _What_ ," Namie all but snarled, "did you just call me?"

"Eep!" Teddie squeaked, and held up and cowered behind one of the couch pillows.

"Please don't take it too personally, Yagiri-san. He doesn't mean it, I swear. It's, it's a bad habit of his—"

"Don't make meaningless excuses for him," the woman spat, cutting Yosuke off. "That was uncalled for, and you know it."

"I-I know," Yosuke replied, wincing. "But he's still learning—"

"So teach him properly," was all Namie bothered to say about the matter. Ignoring the sympathetic looks that were sent in Teddie and Yosuke's direction, the woman turned and headed for the door leading to the room her former employer was currently resting in. "And whatever it is that Kishitani told you, Teddie-san, I didn't hear it, and I won't."

The blonde could only give her a timid glance as his friends tried to comfort him, and did not ask what Namie had meant by that statement. Neither did he express any surprise or relief when he saw that she was having trouble with the knob, constantly turning it over and over and finding that the door remained closed, the room and its occupants firmly locked away from the woman's influence and bitterness. Only startled, again, when Namie sharply turned to face him, fixing a silent glare on him as she folded her arms and leaned against the wall. The black rope around the doorknob slithered back into the sleeve of Celty’s jumpsuit.

It was only when Anri resumed her recount of what had happened with the most recent fog – at Souji's request – that Teddie could take his mind away from the woman named Yagiri Namie, and from his concerns about his earlier headache and the possibility of forgotten memories associated with it. Celty did not press further either, appearing to have forgotten about it as well, and paid as careful attention as she had before as Anri continued.

Just when the wielder of Saika – and possibly even more than just that now, considering the nature and origin of the fog – was summarising her experience with the mysterious voice that had spoken to her and Yosuke was commenting about how similar it was to a friend's own, the door to Izaya's temporary room opened, and out walked underground doctor Kishitani Shinra with a cheerful, almost smug smile on his face. He had not, however, taken more than a step – or even half a step – before he was shoved aside and had the door slam in his face.

"Waiiiiiit I was just going to get some water," Shinra sighed, though it wasn't long before he shrugged it off and the smile was back in place. "Oh well."

[Ah, Shinra,] The Investigation Team almost jolted when the doctor spun to face them and Celty right at that moment. The Dullahan, who was seemingly unfazed by this, simply continued typing, and held her PDA up once she was done. [you're back. How's Izaya doing? I heard from Teddie-kun that he's fine aside from a fever...]

"He is," Shinra confirmed, excitedly making his way back to his seat next to his lover on the couch. "And boy, is he hopeless! Trying to act like nothing really happened or like the entire thing wasn't such a big deal to him, just like you would expect him to. Of course, it only makes it all the more obvious that it's bothering him a lot more than he would've liked to admit, and I'm sure he's aware of that, yet he does it anyway. The extent of his stubbornness is beginning to annoy me."

[What took you so long?] Celty attempted to joke, and though her shoulders shook they did so with a tinge of sadness and pity.

Nobody who had noticed such a thing made a mention of it. Not even her beloved who only continued to smile at her as a gesture of his appreciation for her effort as he changed the subject. "So? What were you all talking about while I was giving Orihara-kun the longest doctor's orders of his life?"

"Oh, um, I-I was sharing with everyone about how the fog was removed," Anri answered.

Shinra's eyes widened in an almost exaggerated fashion. "No way, did I miss everything?"

[I can tell you more about it later.] Celty was quick to offer, which Shinra readily took up on. Then, she added, [Well... I suppose now it's my turn to share my side of the story.]

"Do tell!" Shinra exclaimed, eyes twinkling. The others present simply gave a nod of acknowledgement.

Celty's neck tilted to the side slightly as she tapped on her PDA. [Actually, it's...not that easy to put into words. How should I say this... Hmm...] She paused momentarily. [Ah, I got it. Remember when that unknown person who helped us explained what happened with Teddie-kun, and how something like that applied to me?] She received a few murmurs of agreement before she continued. [Well... If I have to put it rather simply, they were completely right when they said that it was really confusing.]

The Dullahan glanced in Teddie's direction, but as fast as one could blink she returned her attention to the device in her hand. [To be honest, it's a blur to me, even right now... All I can really remember, is that place.]

"That place...?" Teddie echoed, voice growing quiet.

Naoto asked, "Is it the realm that Orihara-san was apparently sent to?"

[Yes.] Celty confirmed. [How I got there is something even I can't really understand. But, I had definitely managed to travel to another realm, just like what that unknown person said. I know this because when I was in that other realm, the room I was in and all the people who were inside had vanished, and all I could see was an endless white plain, shrouded in mist.]

"Ah...!" Teddie let out a gasp, but didn't elaborate further on why. His friends, especially, didn't ask him to, as if no explanation was needed.

"What happened while you were there?" Yukiko asked softly.

[It was...strange, to say the least.] Celty fidgeted, and the shadow trailing from her neck made a small swirl as she continued typing. [It was my first time there, and I wasn't told where exactly I would be able to find Izaya, but...somehow I knew where to go. That place... It felt familiar to me. I figured it had something to do with my memories that are stored away in my missing head, and so I allowed myself to be guided by nothing but that sense of familiarity.]

Next to her the man whom she called her lover whispered her name, casting her a knowing look that the Dullahan couldn't bring herself to ignore. She reached for one of his hands, intertwined her fingers with his and gave it a gentle squeeze. When Celty felt certain that Shinra had received her silent message, she released his hand and continued her story.

[After some time, I found myself at a different area. The mist was still there, but significantly lessened, so it became easier to see where I had been walking. That was when I realised that the plain I had been walking on was slowly fading away, and the whiteness of the sky melted away...and then, I saw it.]

"'It'?" Chie parroted.

The Headless Rider nodded. [Where the plain and the pale sky stopped, there laid a blanket of darkness, stretching beyond my line of vision. And in that darkness were small twinkling lights, like stars in the night sky.]

Teddie shifted in his seat, face pulling into an uncharacteristic frown. "Th-that's...!"

Souji placed a hand on his shoulder before anyone could ask him about that reaction, saying nothing as he looked into Teddie's sapphire blue eyes reassuringly. The blonde, recognising that gesture, took a deep breath and settled down, but the frown never left his features.

"And that's..." Teddie began shakily. "That's where you found...?"

[...Yes.] Celty replied, after a brief moment of hesitation. [Lying on the ground, at the point where the white and black blended into each other. He was...still. Unmoving. But his body... It was flickering, but glowing bright. Almost like the lights in that black plain.] A pause. [I went over to where he was but the moment I touched him, everything disappeared instantly, even his body. And then I found myself back in the blue room, and Igor-san told me that I'd completed my task. Anri-chan and I didn't understand until we went back to where Izaya and Shooter were and we saw him breathing.]

Her shoulders tightened and then relaxed just as quickly, as though she were heaving a sigh of relief. Shinra patted her lightly on the shoulder, flashing her one of his usual smiles.

The Investigation Team were smiling faintly at that, before their serious expressions fell back in place. "And then, Sturluson-san and Sonohara decided to head to the TV world?" Souji said.

"Y-yes," Anri replied in Celty's place. "Th-that's because, while Celty-san was gone, Igor-san told me that...that Izaya-san needed to make a choice. He wasn't very...clear on what he had meant, but Celty-san and the...new Saika...believed that it had something to do with Izaya-san's Shadow."

Celty continued from there. [I remembered you all explaining about the importance of facing one's Shadow. And so, I wondered, what if Izaya isn't even there to face his Shadow at all? Would it disappear, remaining as a Shadow? Or would it go berserk again and again, until it sees him again...? Either way, it didn't feel right to deny Izaya the opportunity to make a change, even though I knew very well he wouldn't. I thought that must've been the choice Igor-san was referring to. ...And besides, he's the root of all the trouble you all had to go through. He ought to take responsibility for that, for once in his life.]

"Hahaha! Well said, my dear!" Shinra complimented. "Knowing that Orihara-kun, he would never take responsibility for anything you're sure he's at fault for even if you slap it right into his face. I don't think he's even said a hint of an apology for making us all experience his mountain of vomit. What a horrid friend I have!"

[...I didn't intend to bring this up now, but you're really not one to judge the kind of friends you have when you keep rubbing that "puke" thing and any of its equivalents in Izaya's face, Shinra. Even I'm starting to find that analogy annoying.]

"Yes ma'am! I will stop using that analogy from now on!" the underground doctor declared with a carefree laugh, raising his hand in a mock salute. Celty could only shake her "head" in bemused exasperation.

"...Still, a choice to accept his Shadow and change, or not..." Yukiko mumbled, mostly to herself, before she raised her voice. "Um... Well, we can't really give our opinion on Orihara-san's decision in the end, but... Shinra-sensei, may I ask—"

" _What?_ " A door slam and somebody hissing cut the young inn manager off completely, attracting the attention of everybody present in the living room. Yagiri Namie, who was currently wearing an extremely stern expression on her face, continued to snarl into her phone, "How could you be so _incompetent_...?!"

"Yagiri-san...?"

The woman sent a death glare in Souji's way, which effectively silenced him and anybody else who might've intended to speak to her. "I don't want to hear excuses," she said, her tone corrosive and harsh as she walked straight towards the entrance. "Deploy a search team immediately. And keep me updated as soon as you find something. I'm coming over right now."

On that note she ended the call, and then left the apartment, not bothering with the usual formalities when one was leaving the house they were visiting. Her exit left many people stumped and speechless, but the resident of the apartment was only too happy to get the discussion going again.

"You were about to say something, Yukiko-chan?"

"Hmm...? Ah, yes." The manager of the Amagi family inn returned her attention to the bespectacled doctor. "Um, I was wondering... About that choice Orihara-san made... What do you think about that, Shinra-sensei? Does it...sit well with you, as Orihara-san's friend?"

Shinra laughed. "You don't have to be so nervous, Yukiko-chan! It's alright with me even if you drop the politeness." Then, with a thoughtful hum, he proceeded to answer Yukiko's question, "What do I think about it... Well, for starters, I'd be lying if I said I'm not the slightest bit disappointed."

[Huh, you are?] Celty couldn't help but type out, surprised.

"Of course I am! I want to see what his Persona looks like, after all! What it can do, what it looks like… And after all that effort talking to him, too. Speaking of which, I didn’t get to see Shizuo-kun’s Persona either! Aaahh what a wasted opportunity… Do you think he’ll agree to show me if I ask him nicely? ...Eh? What's with that judging look you're giving me, Celty? Celty? Don't ignore me?"

[Just answer the question.] His lover eventually said.

Shinra pouted, but it didn't last longer than a split second. "Anyway, yes, I'll admit I was a tad bit disappointed. But honestly? I don't think Izaya would openly accept all of that as part of himself, either. I'd be far more surprised if he did. Suspicious, even."

"Huh? Why would you get suspicious?" Kanji spoke.

"The Izaya I know would never admit defeat that easily. And I should clarify – I'm referring Izaya's own definition of defeat, and accepting his Shadow would almost certainly classify as that, I think. As you've all said, acceptance of one's Shadow also means having the resolve to challenge one's weaknesses and better oneself. Izaya, quite frankly, doesn't have anything like that, and he likes to believe that he enjoys it that way. So, if he were to have really accepted his Shadow, that would be akin to admitting that he doesn't like his current personality and way of life, and that's an act that is simply preposterous in his eyes."

"So... You'll find it suspicious because it would be something you're certain Orihara-san would never do? Even if his own life was on the line?" Yosuke asked.

"I'd suspect our dear Anonymous-san or some other supernatural entity would be affecting his decision, yes. As self-protective and scared of death as he is, it'd take more than his own life to convince him to change. As an example, his current job is already dangerous enough, and his attitude only makes it even more so and he's aware that he'd get in trouble no matter how careful he is, but even then he hasn't done a single thing to change anything about himself."

"I see..." said Souji. "So even if his Shadow were to go berserk and attempt to kill him again, he still wouldn't accept it?"

"I would think so," Shinra agreed, nodding.

"That's just...so sad," Teddie whimpered. "So beary, beary sad..."

"Well, stubbornness has its limits. He's only human, after all," Shinra said, adding a hopeful tone as he gave Teddie a comforting smile. "Maybe someday he'll come around. Just not today or anytime soon, it seems."

"I suppose..." Souji murmured, his teammates sharing his reluctance in voicing their agreement with Shinra's assessment.

At that moment Celty jolted as the sound of her PDA's ringtone reached everybody's ears. She waved a hand to show her apology before quickly tapping on the screen. Then, she briefly went still.

"What is it, Celty?" As Shinra spoke, his beloved was already tapping on the screen of her PDA again.

[I just received an urgent message from the Dollars.] Celty typed swiftly. [Souji-kun, your friend... She's in trouble!]

***

**In the vicinity of Tower Records, the Ikebukuro branch**

_'...This is...all I can do...'_

Mikado thought to himself, staring blankly at his phone which was displaying the Dollars website as he bit the inside of his cheek.

Even at this juncture, after seeing the results he reaped from that one message he had posted Mikado was still unable to shake away the heaviness that had settled on his shoulders, and the twists and turns that made his heart crumple into a dead knot. As much as Masaomi – and Mikado himself – tried to convince him that his seemingly simple action was anything but insignificant, Mikado couldn't bring himself to fully believe in such a notion.

After all, this wasn't just any random gang that had planned this assault. It was the Dollars, the very organisation that Mikado had founded and helped preserve all this while. The organisation that could've been led to the path Mikado had wanted it to walk on but ultimately didn't and carried on with its wayward deeds instead.

It shouldn't be all that surprising, really, that something like this had happened. A gang that had no true figurehead who stepped up to claim authority over it was bound to invite people who would only be too happy to exploit such a non-conventional practice. Mikado had already experienced something like this first-hand before, so there really shouldn't be much of a reason for him to still feel like he was about to melt in his shoes at any moment, or for the ground to appear so oddly inviting. And yet...

"—gamine, hey Ryuugamine."

"E-eh?" Mikado, upon realising that his name was being called, startled, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "Ahh, um, what is it, Kadota-san?"

The man standing before him frowned slightly. "You feeling alright? You don't look too good..."

"Poor kid must still be in a state of shock, Kadota-san," said Walker, before Mikado himself could even think of a reply. "'Tis not everyday you see people pulling out guns and pointing them at teen idols, y'know. Well, not in the 3D real world we live in, anyway."

"...Kadota-san's right, you look terrible, buddy," Masaomi, who was right beside him, commented, giving Mikado a concerned look. "Maybe we should go straight home and sleep it off."

"Y-yeah, I guess," Mikado replied. He could feel his body teetering on the brink of losing his balance, and had to discreetly shift his weight about in order to keep himself still and steady enough to express his gratitude to Kadota and his friends for what they had done.

"No need for thanks, Ryuugamine. We were in the building anyway." The man in the beanie paused, his frown deepening. "Besides, there's no way we can ignore something like this when the Dollars are involved."

Mikado couldn't help but flinch at that, and hoped fervently that nobody had noticed it.

"...Well, you two better get going," Kadota broke the brief moment of silence. "Go back home and rest up well. You guys still have school tomorrow, so don't spend the weekend break worrying about this. We'll take care of things from here."

"Thank you, Kadota-san," said Masaomi. Mikado repeated after him, having nothing else to say, and only got a mildly frustrated look from the man in response who tried to shrug it off again.

And as Mikado turned and was led away by Masaomi for the second time that day, the black-haired adolescent repeated that thought to himself once more:

_'This is all...I can do.'_

Not being able to step up when it mattered, letting himself be led away from a scene where somebody was in danger because of an organisation he felt responsible for, making just one small post on the Dollars forum with the hopes of somebody – anybody – seeing it and having the heart to help out, waiting by the sidelines as Kadota and his friends distracted the security guard long enough for them to get Risette to safety, and offering only words of thanks at the end of it all...

In his current position – if Mikado could even call it that – that was all he could do.

"Mikado...?"

Being snapped out of his thoughts again, Mikado turned in the direction of his friend's voice so sharply that Masaomi flinched.

"...Ah," Mikado let out quietly, realising what he had just done. "I-I'm sorry, Masaomi. I didn't..."

"No, no, it's okay," Masaomi replied with tactful swiftness. "I understand what you're going through, so don't worry about it. It's just... That look on your face earlier..."

"H-huh?"

"I was just worried, is all. I mean, it kinda looked like you were beating yourself up for not being able to do anything to make things right. With the whole, uh, Dollars...thing," the blonde said the name in a low whisper.

"That's..." Mikado started, but he eventually found himself unable to say more.

Masaomi placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know how it feels, Mikado. Seriously, I do. That's why I can tell you straight from experience that this isn't going to be the last incident of that kind of nature. Especially with how the Dollars operates, it'll probably never end."

"But that's...that's precisely why—"

"--why you should stay away at the first chance you got. Mikado, I'm not saying that it's a bad thing to take responsibility. But as long as you keep your hands in the colour gang business, you'll never be able to really get away from it."

"I know, Masaomi, but if I had just cleared things up earlier—"

"And how would you do that?" Masaomi questioned. Though his tone was among the harshest Mikado had ever heard him in all his life, there was no denying the warmth that was intertwined with his words. "Waltz up to the guy, tell him everything that's wrong with what he claimed, maybe spit on him for a bit, and then fall to your knees and beg him to not pull the trigger?"

"O-of course not," Mikado replied, smiling weakly at what appeared to be Masaomi's attempt of a poor joke. "Just, uh, well... The first half of what you said? …Maybe?”

Masaomi sighed heavily. "Idiot! Something like that could easily blow your—" He cut himself off, and then shook his head. "Never mind, forget it. Forget I said anything."

"Masaomi...?"

"C'mon, let's just head back home."

And with the discussion ended there, and without any indication of his intent or desire to carry on any further, Masaomi patted Mikado on the shoulder and then continued on his way, sliding his hands into his pockets. Mikado, on the other hand, stopped there and then, staring after Masaomi's back.

 _'Why...?'_ Mikado's fingers curled into a fist. _'Why don't you want to talk about it, Masaomi?'_

However, it wasn't because he was disappointed that his best friend wouldn't confide in him that he was thinking this way. On the contrary Mikado was perfectly fine with there being secrets between the two of them. It wasn't like he had been completely honest about himself either, so it would be unfair to expect that of other people.

What bothered him, then, was that Masaomi was clearly making the attempt to integrate the whole colour gang business into their lives – and he had been doing so ever since he came back to Mikado and Anri – but would always be the one to end it prematurely like what he had done just now. In particular, Mikado noticed, it would happen when the conversation was about the Dollars and Mikado's relationship with it. It was clear as day that Masaomi was still struggling to accept that, and their earlier discussion only made it all the more obvious.

Keeping secrets from one another was one thing, but one of those secrets being that his own best friend was trying to pretend that his position in the Dollars didn't exist was another level altogether. And knowing that was made worse when Mikado realised and understood what it was exactly that was holding Masaomi back.

But, even then, Mikado found himself unable to voice his thoughts, his intention for the two of them to open up and have a real discussion about the matter.

_'...Because, if I do that... I'll only be pushing Masaomi away even further. And I don't want that. Not when Masaomi is already...already blaming himself for what happened with Kujikawa-san.'_

If it wasn't for the promise Masaomi had asked Mikado to keep, Mikado would've certainly gone ahead and done as his heart desired in that very moment the security guard declared himself as a member of the Dollars. And, if it wasn't for that same promise, things like people committing crimes in the name of the Dollars or making up fake orders from the so-called boss wouldn't be happening again. If Mikado had gone and insisted on his way back then, then maybe innocent people like Risette wouldn't have had to go through something like that.

At least, that was what Mikado believed Masaomi was thinking. And it pained him to see his friend trying to shoulder that all by himself when it wasn't his fault to begin with.

It wasn't only Masaomi who had wanted Mikado to stop, back then. There was also Anri to think about; poor Anri who had her own burdensome secrets and then had to deal with Masaomi's disappearance and Mikado's standoffish behaviour on top of that.

And then there was Mikado himself, who wanted to return to his everyday life. The life he had been trying to escape from but found to remain the most precious for him. Ironically enough it had been this strong desire of his to preserve things as the way they were that eventually forced Masaomi's hand. That was when Mikado realised how far he had gotten, and the thought of how much further he might've gone if Masaomi hadn't done that still scared him.

_'That's why...I don't want you to blame yourself, Masaomi. But...if I told you that, you'd just be more convinced that it's your fault._

_'So this is...all I can do.'_

To keep himself in check, to make sure he never strayed away from the Mikado Masaomi had known since childhood...

That was the extent Mikado was willing to go. Even right now, after being convinced by what happened earlier that someone was clearly trying to get him involved in all that mess again, he wasn't about to take the bait no matter how much a part of him still desired to pursue a non-everyday life.

But if the circumstances had been different... If it had been Masaomi or Anri in Kujikawa Rise's place instead...

"Heeeyy Mikado, you listening?"

"E-eh? Ah! Coming!" Mikado called back, after blinking out of his stupor at Masaomi's yelling, and ran to where his best friend was waiting.

"What were you doing, just standing there by yourself?" Masaomi sighed, before a cheeky smile found its way to his face. "Don't tell me... You were having dirty thoughts about Anri again, right?"

Mikado gaped, heat rising to his cheeks. "Wh-what? No I wasn't!"

"Reeeeeally?"

"A-argh, Masaomi stop teasing like that! It'd trouble Sonohara-san if she was here... It's kinda amazing that she still doesn't think of you as a pervert of some sort after all this while."

"Heh, I think it'd trouble her a lot more if she caught you blushing along with it."

"B-blushing?! Who's blushing?!"

Masaomi laughed and swung an arm around Mikado's shoulder. And his cheer, no matter how much of a facade it might be, was infectious as Mikado allowed himself a smile.

 _'Yeah, this is all I can do. And that's...okay.'_ Mikado tilted his head back slightly, catching a glimpse of the pale blue sky. _'But...if something like that really happens, then... What should I do?_ _…_ _Izaya-san... Celty-san...'_


	42. Walk on the Diagonal I

**April 28, 2013**

**On the street, near the Ikebukuro branch of Tower Records**

"Well then... Is there anything you'd like help with? We can send you to a nearby clinic or hospital to get yourself checked for wounds or..."

"Ahh, it's okay. You've helped more than enough already, saving me from that man earlier."

"You sure? I mean, it's no trouble for us, so you don't have to worry about that. And don't mind me saying, but it didn't look like he was treating you all that nicely while he held you hostage..."

"I'm sure," Rise replied with conviction, making sure to pull off an equally serious expression. It seemed to have taken her saviours slightly aback, and she quickly tossed them a wink and a cheerful smile not long after. "I'm more than just your regular teenage idol, you know. I can take things like that no sweat!"

Kadota rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging. "Well, if you say so... But it still doesn't feel right to leave you all by yourself now, after what happened."

"I'll be fine!" the young brunette chirped. "I need to go back to report to my manager anyway. If I'm gone for too long, he might worry about me unnecessarily."

The man considered that for a moment, and then nodded with an assuring grin. "Alright, then. Be care—"

"Well right before you leave, could you please sign an autograph for me?" Walker interrupted, waving a copy of light novel in one hand and a permanent black marker in the other.

Kadota shot him a disapproving glance. "Yumasaki, don't—"

"Pretty please pretty please pretty please? It'd be great if I can have your very own signature on this book! To remind myself of this one time where even the boring 3D world we live in can recreate the beauty of the 2D world successfully! What a feat that is!"

"Yumasaki..."

Rise covered her mouth as she giggled. "It's okay, Kadota-san. This is part and parcel of the idol life, after all." Then she turned to Walker, and her smile became even brighter. "Besides, I can't just turn down a passionate request like that, can I? Especially after all that you've done for me?"

Walker's tiny eyes appeared like they had gleamed and glistened at that. "Ohhh thank you thank you thank you!" he cried out as he passed the aforementioned book for Rise to sign on, and leapt into the air with a whoop when she returned it.

"All right, all right, let's get a move on, Yumacchi. Togusacchi's gonna be pissed if you make him wait any longer," said Erika, who had been watching the entire scene in amused silence up until now. "Ah, but don't take it personally, Risecchi. It's just that Togusacchi's been a long diehard Hijiribe Ruri fan so he's rushing for the premiere of her latest movie, not because he doesn't like you or anything."

"Oh, I understand that perfectly, no worries! Ruri-senpai's the real deal, after all. Teen idols like me admire her a whole lot!" Rise said, beaming. "Well, I shouldn't be holding you all up, then. Go on ahead, no need to worry about me."

"...Be careful," Kadota said as his parting words to her before joining Erika in urging an elated Yumasaki back to where their van was parked.

Rise stayed where she was, waving at them until the van started moving off. Her arms fell to her sides as she heaved a tired sigh.

"Well... What should I do now?" she wondered aloud.

_'Inoue-san is probably...no, knowing him he's definitely worried about me. If I don't go back or at least give him a call to say that I'm fine, he's sure to worry himself to death.'_

As the young idol considered the welfare and feelings of her manager, her thoughts also began to wander to another issue at hand.

_'But... That man. It was only for a short while but when he grabbed me, I heard Kanzeon sing. I'm sure of it, that man is_ _—_ _'_

"Rise!"

"Rise-chan!"

"Kujikawa-san!"

"Eh?!"

At the sound of her name being called by a group of people she knew all too well, Rise turned, and at that moment she saw her friends, as well as Celty, jumping off their scooters, bicycle and motorcycle and running towards her.

"Eh? What's... What's everyone doing here?"

"We heard that you were in trouble," Yosuke quickly explained, still looking a touch bit anxious even though Rise was right in front of him, obviously safe and sound. "What happened? Did somebody come save you? You didn't get hurt by that guy, right?"

Rise couldn't help but giggle. "Whoa, Yosuke-senpai, calm down. It was a little scary, but a group of kind people saved me in the end. Look at me, I'm fine, and I'm not hurt or anything. There's nothing to worry about."

"That's great to hear," Yosuke said, heaving a sigh of relief. The others nodded as a form of their agreeing with him.

"But is it okay for all of you to be here? I mean, Anri-chan's still not so sure about the whole Saika thing, right?" Rise pointed out.

"Heh, you think we'd care about stuff like that when one of us is in danger?" Kanji said with a confident smirk. "'Sides, if it really gets right down to it, we can use our Personas to take 'em out without hurting anyone. Ain't gonna let them stand in our way when you needed help."

"...Awww, thanks Kanji~ And thanks to everyone, too!" Rise sang merrily before she remembered what she had been thinking about prior to meeting her friends again, a serious expression settling on her face. "Ah, that's right. I needed to tell you guys something. It's about the man who grabbed me and held me hostage... Um, but I don't think it's really convenient for me to be telling you when we're all standing out here."

Souji nodded. "Alright. We'll find a place where we can all sit down and talk this over. We need to update you on what we've learnt so far too anyway."

The others murmured their consensus and started suggesting possible places where they could safely gather without garnering too much unwanted attention. At some point Rise excused herself to make a call to her manager to inform him of where he could find her if the need arose and to set his mind at ease.

It was around the same time Rise was about to end the call when Celty, who had been standing and watching them all this while, took out her PDA and began typing.

[Do you mind if I join you all in your discussion?]

She showed the screen to just Souji at first, and he replied in his usual quiet yet assured tone which was enough for his friends to stop their discussion, "You're more than welcome to join us, Celty-san. But..."

[Ah, if it's about Shinra, you don't have to worry. I'll explain to him if he asks.] A pause, and then she resumed typing before showing the full message on the screen. [Besides, there's something I need to find out, myself. And I can't do that if Shinra keeps sticking to me like glue.]

"...It's about that your experience in that empty plain and stars, right?" At the familiar description, Celty flinched slightly. But Souji made no mention of this, and went on to say, his tone gentle and full of understanding despite the directness of his words, "The key to your past might be there and you want to find out more, but you're afraid of what Kishitani-san would think if he knows... Is that right?"

Celty didn't respond immediately. But it didn't change the affirmative answer she gave in the end.

***

**In a private room at Russia Sushi**

"...So we ended up here after all," Yosuke, who was the first to break the silence after Souji had placed everyone's orders with Simon, grumbled.

"Well, there isn't really anywhere else we can go as a group on such short notice," Yukiko pointed out, wearing a small, satisfied smile. "It's a good thing Seta-kun knew someone who could get us a private room here. And it can fit all of us nicely, too."

Yosuke couldn't help but moan quietly again, but didn't elaborate on his discomfort with the restaurant he vowed to avoid like the plague and simply glanced over the room as if instinctively trying to confirm what Yukiko just said. The room was just as he remembered the last time he came here: traditional Japanese decor, with appropriate arrangement of the table and cushions complete with matching cutlery and crockery. The nine of them – which consisted of the Investigation Team at full strength as well as Celty – sat around the table, with the four male members on one side and the female members on the other along. Celty herself took up her position at one of the corners of the table where Yukiko was kneeling, primarily to make it easier for everyone to look at the screen of her PDA when she needed to say something, and secondarily because she was the only one who didn't place an order.

At the thought of Russia Sushi's food again, Yosuke resisted a shudder.

Chie did not help matters; with twinkling eyes, she rubbed her hands together. "And best of all, we can get our lunch here too! Aaaahh I can't wait for my awesome beefy sushi to arrive!"

"Can we please stop talking about the food already and get on with the programme?" Yosuke pleaded, which earned him an affronted glare from Chie, in stark contrast to the sympathetic look from his partner and the confused stares from everyone else.

"Don't worry, Yosuke. Simon-san was just in an experimenting mood when I brought you here, but I made sure to order the normal dishes this time. Their regular sushi is really good, trust me," Souji explained.

"...If you say so, partner," Yosuke replied, though still a little doubtful.

"Well then, shall we get our meeting underway?" Naoto suggested.

Rise's eyes brightened at that, her back straightening more as she spoke, "Yeah, that's  right! I was saying that I needed to tell you all about the security guard! When that whole thing happened, I was shocked that I didn't really think about it till later, but... Back then, when that man grabbed me, I heard something. It was...from Kanzeon."

The others seemed startled by the news.

"Wha... So, your Persona acted up by itself again?" Kanji asked, to which Rise nodded.

"It did, I'm sure of it. It didn't manifest or anything, but it was definitely picking up something about that security guard."

"Huh... But what could it be?" Chie said, frowning as she thought about the matter. "So far, the only things that triggered our Personas outside the TV world is those Saika children or whatever you call them..."

"Yeah, that's it," Rise hurriedly replied, confirming Chie's guess. "That's what it felt like. I couldn't really get a good look at his eyes to be certain, but that guy definitely gave off the same feeling as Saika."

[But that's... That can't be right.] Celty typed, before she quickly clarified herself. [Ah it's not that I doubt you, Rise-chan, but Anri-chan already absorbed whatever fog there is so all of the essence in the people Saika had cut before should have returned to her by now, too.]

"...Unfortunately I don't think that's for certain, Sturluson-san," Naoto said.

[Why do you say so?]

"Although it is true Sonohara-san absorbed the fog, I believe that the fog that she absorbed is the one that specifically targeted the Ikebukuro populace's memories of Orihara-san, the matter in which Saika's own fog had little – or perhaps even no – direct involvement. Considering the situation at that time, the more pressing issue was to lift the fog that was about to cause the two worlds to merge. If that was the case, then it would be natural to focus on getting rid of that fog over the one produced by Saika."

"I agree," Souji chipped in. "From the way Sonohara was talking, it didn't sound like she had been thinking about absorbing Saika's fog, either. Her main focus was on the more dangerous of the two, and that was the one she took in."

[...That, makes sense.] Celty typed hesitantly, before shaking her "head". [But I still can't really understand why it had to be Anri-chan, at the end of it all. That mysterious person who helped us said it's because Saika is related to fog, and Igor-san mentioned there being a "connection", but...what is it? What is that relation? I mean, Saika being able to take in a fog that's different from the kind it produces is... It can't just be a coincidence.]

"That's...a really good point," Yosuke said. "Marie-chan could do it because she was just reabsorbing all the fog that her other aspects made and released into Inaba. But for Sonohara-chan, it's different. We're talking about two distinct kinds of fog here. ...Unless..."

"Unless they're the same kind of fog in the first place," Souji finished.

At the suggestion of the possibility of such an idea, everyone else started to grow evidently unsettled, some fidgeting in their seats while others could only look at one another with eyes widened in disbelief. Rise, who had been silent all this while, looked at the people around her, briefly evaluated their reactions, and then finally met Souji's eyes with a frown etched on her face and a tilt to the side of her head.

"Whoa, hold on. What's all this talk about Anri-chan or Saika absorbing the fog or anything? Or about the fog that was blocking everyone's memories of Orihara-san?"

"Ah! That's right, Rise-chan doesn't know yet!" Teddie exclaimed.

"O-oh, right, we're so sorry Rise-chan, we got a little carried away..." Yukiko apologised.

"Eh? Oh, no, no need for apologies, Amagi-senpai," Rise replied. She seemed to have the intent to continue reassuring that it was not an issue for her that they should be concerned about, but eventually she didn't get the chance to as the door to their room slid open.

"Hey hey, Sou-ji and friends. Your sushi, I am glad to announce, is here," came the low, accented voice belonging to none other than Simon, whose sudden appearance felt like the refreshing reminder of their being an outside world beyond the dimensions of the private room and a thunder clap coming from nowhere at the same time.

Souji acknowledged the peace-loving thundery presence he had as a friend with a nod and a grateful smile. "Thank you, Simon-san. You have great timing, we were just thinking about having our lunch."

"Ahh Sou-ji, always good with words, yeah?" Simon replied, giving Souji a wide, almost goofy smile, and proceeded to serve the food.

There was a whole assortment of sushi, the variation almost impossible to count with just two hands, filled with everyone's personal orders and a couple of exotic-looking sushi tossed in here and there much to Souji's delight and Yosuke's disgust. There was no helping the look of pure curiosity on Yukiko's face as she caught sight of the results of Simon's experimenting, while Kanji and Teddie were careful not to say anything at this point, and simply kept their dubious stares on the unfamiliar sushi.

Nonetheless everyone thanked Simon sincerely, and the Russian beamed before taking his leave, closing the door to their world once again.

The eight Investigation Team members didn't commence their meal immediately, instead opting to exchange looks and glances in considerate silence. Celty, noticing this, was quick to type up something which she was certain she had told them just before coming here.

[Oh! No need to worry about me. Please, do start eating. I wouldn't have agreed to come here if I'm bothered by something like that.]

It was only at her words that the boisterous atmosphere typically found among groups of youths came alive again as the adolescents all thanked her and paid their usual graces for the meal they were about to partake, and started eating. They allowed themselves a brief period of time to enjoy their food without discussing anything concerning the case or the fog, stepping into their roles as truly ordinary high school and university students; it was almost hard to believe that these were the same people who could look straight at headless people and monstrous entities like Shadows and barely bat an eyelid.

But once they felt they had enough time to themselves, the atmosphere dampened considerably as it shifted back into a mood appropriate for their discussion. They started with giving Rise a quick overview of what had been shared and brought to light when they were in Shinra and Celty's apartment, and Rise in turn made the same connection swiftly and suggested:

"You know, I think Senpai and Yosuke-senpai are onto something. I mean, yeah, the way that person and Igor-san phrased it made it sound like there's two different fogs, but maybe that's not what they meant at all. Maybe what they really meant was...the fog that tried to suppress everyone's memories of Orihara-san came from Saika's fog itself."

"...In other words that fog has split itself off from Saika's own and is under the control of somebody else. Someone who's just like Sonohara-san..." Naoto said.

[Or...or it could be a Saika child who is able to retain a sense of control over themselves, and use Saika for their own purposes. People like...Niekawa Haruna...!]

"Huh wait, there's people like that who can hold back that crazy demon's love without a Persona?" Kanji asked the question that was also on everybody's mind.

Naoto was the only one who wasn't as surprised. "Of course, that makes sense... For people to fall under Saika's curse and be considered its children, fear is an essential factor that allows Saika free reign over its children's consciousness. As long as that fear exists, the children are always at the mercy of their mother. However... If there exists a child who can learn how to control that fear...it's possible for them to regain their will over themselves."

Celty nodded. [Niekawa Haruna's love is what triumphed over that, I heard. It's because of her love and obsession with a particular somebody that she gained control over her own Saika and started the string of Slasher attacks. Anri-chan has the "mother blade", though, so by cutting Haruna-chan again she managed to put a stop to the Slasher incident, but...]

"Maybe what Sonohara-chan did wasn't enough," Yosuke said. "I mean, if the fear factor never really worked in the first place, that Niekawa Haruna person could always break off as long as she has her love. Same goes for any other Saika child, I guess. Love conquers all, after all, or however that saying goes."

"So that means... Sonohara-chan was just doing the same thing as she did to Niekawa Haruna-san. Taking back control over the part of Saika that had split off. That's why everyone else was left in the same state as before," said Yukiko, as a frown formed upon her features. "But... If that's the case, why couldn't that mysterious helper just tell us the identity of the Saika child? Sonohara-chan didn't have to go to the other realm to absorb the fog, she could've just gone straight to the person responsible and stop them...right?"

"Amagi-senpai made an excellent point," Naoto agreed, resting her chin on a contemplative finger. "Sonohara-san herself said that the fog she absorbed felt like it came from a separate entity, though she didn't dismiss the similarities between it and Saika. There must be more to this alleged connection."

"And whatever it is, it's letting Saika children go wild without Anri realising it," Rise added. Then her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Oh! That's right! I remember now, that man said something! About who he's working for!

"That's incredibly useful to know," Souji said, giving his kouhai a small, reassuring smile.

"Who? Who is it, Rise-chan?" Teddie asked.

"Um, lemme think..." The teen idol took a moment to gather her thoughts and get a clearer picture as she tried to replay the incident in her mind. "It's something about...being accountable to a boss other than me. That boss is...the head of the Dollars, or something like that."

[Wh-what?!] Celty typed and flashed her screen at lightning-fast speed while everybody else – with the exceptions of Souji, Yosuke, Naoto and Rise – was still in the midst of wondering who or what the Dollars was in the first place. She was so flustered that it almost looked as if she was going to shout her heart out at any moment. [But that...that can't be. No, it's impossible! The head of the Dollars had nothing to do with that, I'm sure of it!]

Souji blinked slowly, and being the first to recover from the shock of seeing the Dullahan react in such a manner he broke the silence, "Celty-san...knows the Dollars and its leader?"

Celty flinched and recoiled, and for the next couple of seconds she glanced around the table and briefly met everybody's eyes before her shoulders slumped.

[I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get that worked up. It's just... I've been in this city for a pretty long time, so I roughly know and get along with a lot of people while I've been here. The Dollars has been around for the past few years, and it's become the talk of the town almost everywhere. So...yes, I do know about the Dollars.]

"What kind of group or organisation is it? Don't tell me it's like the yakuza or..."

"Don't worry, Satonaka, it's nothing like that. Basically the Dollars is a colour gang. Some consider it colourless, since it doesn't have a colour-based group identity that other colour gangs do, but whatever colour it is it's still a gang. Other than that, I don't know anything else about them. I only know as much as what my partner here told me," Yosuke explained, nudging his head towards Souji who acknowledged what Yosuke had said.

Celty didn't add to that explanation, neither did she correct it in any way, so the Investigation Team took that as all they needed to know about the Dollars and left it at that for the time being. Instead, she went back to the more important issue that was being discussed at the moment.

[Well... You can call the head of the Dollars an acquaintance of mine. That's why I can vouch for their character. I'm certain they had no involvement in Rise-chan's being taken hostage. Please trust me on this.]

"Ah, I see, so the Dollars' head is Celty-san's friend," Chie spoke, looking slightly ashamed as did the rest of her friends.

"In that case, it's okay! We'll trust Cel-chan's friend!" Teddie declared, smiling brightly.

The others weren't as quick to accept it, however. And understandably so. Celty took the chance to explain the nature of the Dollars and how exploiting it could easily implicate the boss of the gang in things he wasn't directly responsible for, bringing up a few examples and how it all eventually forced the leader's hand in correcting the way the organisation should be operating. When they heard about the drastic measures that same leader had been planning to undertake, and the very possible outcome of those measures if a close friend hadn't arrived on time, the Investigation Team realised their disrespectful error and apologised for their oversight.

"Well, at least now we can be sure to rule out the Dollars' head as a possible culprit," Rise highlighted.

"Yup. So basically, there's some sort of special connection between Saika and the fog that was wiping everyone's memories clean of Orihara-san, and the person behind that particular fog is someone other than the boss of the Dollars," Yosuke summarised, before he brought up another possibility, "Do you guys think...this person is that Malevolent Entity's accomplice or something along those lines?"

"It's extremely likely," Naoto said. "After all, the previous time we encountered that Malevolent Entity, it mentioned that it required the assistance of an unknown party to put Labrys-san through the TV as well as hack into and take control of Labrys-san's body. It's not impossible that it might have needed some help once again, for this case we're currently looking into."

"...Like putting Orihara-san through the TV," Souji pointed out, trying to link everything together, "or releasing a fog to specifically suppress everyone's memories of him."

"And maybe even...killing Yagiri Seiji in the first place," Yosuke continued the thread, "and spreading those rumours to make it all look like the Inaba case all over again."

"Exactly," Naoto affirmed with a nod.

[But why would anyone even want to work with someone like that? What could they be trying to achieve by killing Seiji-kun and going through all this to get rid of Izaya? And dragging Shizuo into this, at that...]

"Heiwajima-san's involvement... That's it! That's what they're going for!" Yukiko spoke with heightened confidence.

"Whaddya mean, Amagi-senpai?" Kanji said.

"During that time, didn't the Malevolent Entity list down three reasons for choosing Orihara-san? The first was because of his 'unstable heart', the second to declare war on all Persona-users, and the third was to see what would happen to Heiwajima-san, who had 'partially awakened potential'," Yukiko said, reminding everybody of what the Malevolent Entity had revealed before she moved on from there to explain her conjecture, "Of these three, the one I can't really understand is the final reason. If the Malevolent Entity had truly wanted to see if Heiwajima-san would be like Labrys-chan, it would've had its accomplices throwing Heiwajima-san into the TV at around the same time they did Orihara-san. But nothing like that happened, not even an attempt. Sure, maybe they thought Heiwajima-san was too strong for them to handle but that's not the case at all. I mean, Heiwajima-san mentioned that the Malevolent Entity who posed as Orihara-san's Shadow managed to overpower him, didn't he?"

"That's very true," Souji agreed. "The time-space in Ikebukuro is distorted enough for the Malevolent Entity to manifest here. It could've restrained Heiwajima-san while letting its accomplice push him in. That had always been an option. But...the Malevolent Entity didn't do that."

"So then, what? It was gonna involve Heiwajima-san later but changed its mind along the way?" Kanji wondered.

"That's gotta be it," Yosuke said. "I mean, Psyche-san said it before. That Heiwajima-san wasn't supposed to get involved this early. Not that I really trust that guy's words, but when you think about it now that statement makes sense. Something about Orihara-san must've changed that Malevolent guy's plan a little."

"But what could it be?" said Rise, with a thoughtful look. "Finding out their relation with each other? Orihara-san's Shadow? The complicated dungeon that came about because of Orihara-san's principle in life? Just plain because the more the merrier?"

"Mm, those are all quite likely, but I'm thinking about something else," Yukiko admitted with a tinge of shyness, before she followed up with determination, "It's to declare war. Like what the Malevolent Entity said."

"A...war?" Teddie echoed, puzzlement evident in his youthful features.

"Yes, I believe it's to create and declare war against all of us...and by that I mean including Celty-san, Heiwajima-san, Kishitani-san, and so on." A pause. "That Malevolent Entity had been planning to declare war against us from the very beginning. It probably knew about Heiwajima-san's partially awakened potential, and decided to leave that for it to settle later, once it was done with Orihara-san because it could then take its time with trying to steal Heiwajima-san's Shadow from him and find its vessel. But it took longer than expected in dealing with Orihara-san...because _we_ managed to interfere just in time. Before this happened, the Malevolent Entity was already displeased with us not performing the way it wanted us to, and so it decided to accelerate its plan instead."

"It turned the tables around and made use of Psyche-san and his friends in order to involve Heiwajima-san early, so that it could have a chance at taking a bit of extra power for itself and take a step closer towards finding its vessel. And in doing so, it would drag all of us in further, even non-Persona users, because it wanted to involve as many people as possible in order to create this grandiose war it intended to declare," Souji added, catching onto Yukiko's main point quicker than Chie wolfing down her beef sushi earlier. "The question though, is why it decided to use Yagiri Seiji in particular, and why it needed everyone forgetting about Orihara-san, even to the extent of twisting their perception and giving them an illusion of having lived a life without Orihara-san there."

"And why it's keeping Harima-chan alive and making it look like she did Yagiri in," Yosuke said, a slightly grim expression settling in place.

[...I can't offer any likely explanations for most of the doubts you've all raised, but... If the Malevolent Entity's true motive is to create a war, then I might understand why it wanted Izaya out of the picture now.]

Celty's fingers hovered over the screen of her PDA before she resumed typing.

[It's to finish what Izaya started.]

 ***

**At an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

"Coming, coming~!" An excited, innocent yell from across the living room resonated throughout the empty apartment as Shinra sprinted towards the door. "Celtyyyyy is that you? I thought so, since you left your keys behind in your hur—oh, it's you."

The underground doctor immediately deflated the moment he opened the gate and saw who it was that had been standing outside and pressing the doorbell, the pitch of his voice going lower and sounding almost monotonous.

Shizuo scoffed. "Yeah, it's me. What, you got a problem with that?"

"Huh? What? Who's got a problem? Definitely not me!" Shinra sang innocently, opening the gate with exaggerated zeal which made Shizuo roll his eyes. He waited until Shizuo was halfway through the pathway leading to the living room before sticking his head out to look for any traces of Celty arriving, and his shoulders sagged with a sigh as he closed the gate shut and made sure everything was nicely locked.

Shinra reluctantly followed Shizuo back into the living room, but wore a bright smile despite himself and said with high-spirited cheer, "So why are you here at this time of the day, Shizuo-kun? I don't recall owing any debts to your company."

"Work ended early," Shizuo replied simply, looking around. "Not that many debtors to chase after anyway. Where's the kids?"

"Hm? Ahh, you mean Souji-kun and his friends." Shinra took a seat on the couch. Shizuo followed suit. "The meeting got cut short, I'm afraid. Someone posted on the Dollars forum that something happened to Risette – I mean, Rise-chan – so they all went down to see if she's alright. My darling went along with them but she hasn't come back yet."

"...Ohh, so that's who Risette is," Shizuo mumbled. Shinra couldn't hold back the laughter bubbling in his chest.

"You mean to tell me that you had no idea Rise-chan is Risette? But Shizuo-kun she's already appeared alongside your brother in a movie once! Surely you must've seen that one already, since you always catch Kasuka-kun's movies?"

"I wait for the DVDs. It makes me glad to see that he gets a lot of support from his fans, but hearing crowds of people squealing and crying every minute of the movie annoys me. I think the DVD form of the movie you're talking about hasn't been released yet, so I haven't seen it."

"Ahh, I see. So that's how it is." Shinra nodded to himself. "Now that I think about it, you're right. The DVD for that particular movie hasn't been released yet. Ahhh that means I can't get Rise-chan to sign on it for me yet. What a pity."

Shizuo gave a non-committal grunt. "...Anyway you said Celty hasn't come back yet?"

"Yes!" Shinra howled melodramatically, bringing both of his arms high up in the air. Shizuo instantly regretted asking that. "It's been two and a half hours and she hasn't messaged me even once! Nor has she replied to any of my text messages! And then Anri-chan had to suddenly take her leave and she said it's because Celty told her something important that she couldn't ignore. Can you believe it? My Celty is ignoring me!"

"Oh, so that Sonohachi girl was here too."

"Sonohara, Shizuo, it's Sonohara. And don't brush off my pining for Celty like it's not really that important to you! I'm sharing my personal feelings with you as a friend here, you know," Shinra huffed.

Shizuo awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck with a gruff sigh. "I don't know how to say this, but... Maybe Celty just needs to be alone for now. Like, away from you. To sort of sort out her thoughts a bit, I guess, and she can't do that if you're pestering her twenty-four-seven."

"Sure, if it's that I definitely understand. Normally I don't mind giving her some space, because I know she needs some privacy, but we haven't had much time to ourselves ever since _a certain idiot_ ," Shinra made sure to cup his hands to emphasise on that particular phrase as he looked in the direction of one of the doors, "very nearly got himself killed and dragged us all into it."

He didn't a reply, no witty comeback that Izaya was well-known for making. It wasn't like Shinra expected one anyway, so he simply kept smiling, satisfied with himself.

Shizuo stole a glance in the same direction, and he let his eyes rest on the door for a moment before turning back. "So, uh, how's the flea?"

"He woke up a few hours ago," Shinra informed. "Running quite the fever, though. His headache seemed pretty bad too, so I gave him something to tide over a bit. I think the whole ordeal really wore him out, but he doesn't seem keen on going back to sleep for some reason."

"Hasn't he slept enough already? I know he needs rest but it's not good to be sleeping too much."

"In normal situations, yes. However, this exhaustion is anything but normal. Souji-kun's friends who went through a similar experience all said that it took them at least one or two weeks to fully recover from it, and they spent most of that time sleeping. In Izaya's case, he must be even more worn out than any of them were."

"Hmm..." Shizuo mumbled. "Did he say anything about...everything?"

"Well, he did say a few interesting things," Shinra replied, folding his arms. "I think you'll be surprised to know that Izaya expected to be targeted from the very beginning."

"...The hell?" Shizuo growled. "And the flea just let it happen?"

"Haha about that? Izaya suddenly took on a pretty serious expression and told me that he didn't. It's more of, he expected it to happen to him, but wasn't as prepared for the outcome as he initially believed, and there we have it."

"That's no different from letting it happen," Shizuo retorted, raising his voice. "The flea could've died. Does he even realise it? He almost died for real, and all because he dropped his guard and gave the damn Malevolent Entity thing or whatever the chance to get at him?"

Shinra shrugged nonchalantly. "That's the way he is. Izaya banked on the chance that whoever targeted him was human, that's why up until our dear Anonymous-san revealed itself he simply let things be, even if it meant putting his own life at risk. Most probably, he thought he could've just adjusted to the situation accordingly, so he didn't have a backup plan in case the situation blew up in his face – which it did, evidently."

Shizuo didn't hold back the snort. "The flea's dumber than I thought."

"I don't really appreciate being called 'dumb' by a Neanderthal such as yourself, Shizu-chan~ Has nobody taught you good manners? Or is your brain too underdeveloped to retain what you've taught?"

At the sound of a familiar voice that clearly wasn't Shinra's, the former bartender sharply turned around while Shinra perked up and raised his head, their eyes widening slightly as they landed on the sight of the raven-haired man standing by the doorway and leaning against it with a plastic smile tugging on his features which were considerably paler than usual.

Despite that, Shizuo clicked his tongue as he got to his feet, sliding his hands in his pockets. "Haven't you heard of this saying? A true idiot is the one calling other people an idiot. So if you think I'm really as thoughtless as you think I am, then there's nothing wrong with me calling you dumb, right, Iiiiiizaaaayaaaa-kun?"

"Ah, but to be finally admitting your lowly brute-like nature means that you are actually self-aware to some degree. That means you're developing at last. How wonderful," Izaya replied condescendingly, sounding very much like a peppery nursery school teacher forcing himself to praise the children he despised with every fibre of his being.

The terribly false and sarcastic cheer struck a nerve within Ikebukuro's Strongest, the fingers on his right hand instinctively twitching and threatening to curl into a fist. But the blonde eventually held himself back, mentally commanding his hand to relax and his arm to remain where it was, hidden in his pant pocket, and sent a small smirk in his nemesis' way who actually looked mildly baffled.

"I dunno, Izaya, do you really mean what you just said? 'Cuz if you do, then doesn't that mean I'm becoming more human? Are you really okay with that?" Shizuo asked, a little teasingly, a little seriously, a little curiously.

In truth, the conversation was making him recall what one of the many fleas that formed part of Izaya's personality – the prince named Hibiya – had said to him, and the revelation had left him shaken in a positive way, opened a floodgate spilling a serene sort of consolation deep within his entire being at that very moment. Even now, as he remembered that event and replayed it in his head, the same feeling started to seep and swirl into the depths of his gut, like there was a tiny goldfish being released into and allowed to road freely the vast pond known as his heart.

But it was gone as soon as it arose, too slippery to get a good grasp on and swimming away too far for him to even reach for in the first place. Never mind the fact that some aspect of Izaya was the one who dropped the bomb on Shizuo – such a description would also be apt for describing Izaya himself, something Shizuo had yet to decide what that meant to him. It was a feeling just like that.

Izaya seemed rather displeased – disgusted would not be an exaggeration either – at Shizuo's words, but made sure to wear his usual smile and was about to make a retort when Shinra stepped in-between the both of them, ending what would have surely erupted into a fight where petty taunts and innocent furniture being tossed and scrambled around the apartment in the exceedingly near future. And Shinra was not keen on the idea of having his beloved return to a home destroyed beyond recognition.

"Alright alright, that's enough," Shinra cut in. "There's always a much better time and place for the two of you to settle whatever it is you're arguing about, but definitely not now and certainly not here while I’m still in the building so let's just let it be for now. Okay?"

Then, without giving either of them enough time to reply, the underground doctor turned to face Izaya directly, fixing a professionally stern look on his friend. "Anyway what do you think you're doing, Orihara-kun? You're in no condition to be getting up and walking about, surely you know that better than I do. If you needed something, you could've just hollered, you know."

"I'm just trying to get a bit of exercise. Is that so wrong?"

"Considering the state of that your body is in and the possibility that you might just collapse any time because of that and there'll be no one to help you up because of your refusal to inform even your own attending doctor, I would say yes."

"Hehhh, so I can't even make simple decisions like that on my own? I need to consult you if all I want is just a bit of exercise? Aren't you being a little overbearing, Shinra?" Izaya challenged, releasing his hold on his temporary support as he strained himself to take a step forward.

As he attempted to do so, Shizuo, who was the silent observer for this conversation, noticed that Izaya barely even achieved much distance with that step. His leg was trembling violently, wobbling about like a plate being spun on the tip of a splinter all around its base, yet the limb itself remained perfectly stiff, in the sense that it looked too heavy for Izaya to lift up.

And so Izaya took a dredging, stumbling step forward. To be more precise, he was sliding forward, by no more than one or two centimetres. Then, as if to prove Shinra's point, he buckled.

Shinra managed to catch him in that split second moment, and heaved an exasperated sigh as he tried to help Izaya back up and get him to stand as steadily as possible. "Still think I'm being overbearing?" he teased.

Izaya averted his eyes, giving a dry chuckle. "Well then... Could you at least let me borrow a phone or laptop? Lying awake in bed with nothing to do is not exactly what I would call a very interesting experience, and I should be checking if I missed any important work while I was occupied."

"So that's what you clumsily tottered out for? You could've just said so. Hmm but I don't recommend you to keep yourself awake and busy when your body is obviously in need of more rest."

"I'm feeling fine."

"Mm-hm, so fine that you nearly fell to the floor and you look like you're about to keel over again at any time."

"That was only because I've been confined to the bed for so long. And the supposed tiredness you firmly believe I have is due to the fact that I haven't eaten anything in a while, so naturally I wouldn't look like I'm in the pink of health. Nothing some food and exercise wouldn't fix," Izaya reasoned, using anything that could sufficiently cover up and explain his exhaustion other than the true reason behind it.

"You're not fooling anybody, flea," Shizuo cut in. "Shinra said you oughtta be resting. So go and rest."

"Oh?" Izaya turned in his direction, sounding viciously sweet. "But didn't Shinra just say that I know my own condition better than anyone else? If that's the case, then why is it when I say I clearly don't need any rest, the both of you insist on otherwise?"

"Shizuo-kun, if you can take care of this idiot for me, please," Shinra said, gesturing to Izaya who was given little opportunity to protest as Shizuo grunted and picked him up by the back of his shirt and carried him back to the room.

"Hey hey, at least offer to give me something to eat first—"

"Rest," Shizuo explicitly stated again, dropping Izaya onto the bed like dumping a bag of garbage out of the house. "Shinra and I will do something about food. In the meantime, get the hell back to sleep."

And with that said and done Shizuo stepped out of the room and closed the door shut behind him, leaving Izaya alone once again in the room he had been staying in for so long it could very well already be his second home.

***

"...That Shizu-chan... He sure surprised me with what little wisdom he thought he has, but in the end he's still dumb as a rock after all," Izaya murmured to himself, smirking wryly as he recalled the earlier conversation before Shinra pulled the caring doctor card on him.

"So he honestly thinks that by accepting his own beastly nature and gaining a Persona he's becoming more like a human? ...What a preposterous proposition."

The smile on the informant's face turned even colder, his features hardening as he sent a narrowed glare to the ceiling.

"I said that...to mean that he is finally turning into the monster he truly is. The true monster that would admit that he is a monster in order to they win the hearts and sympathy of humans and trick himself into believing the illusion that he, too, can live like a human. Nothing more than that."

As Izaya clarified himself to nobody in particular, he shook his head and left it at that before he turned his bitter smile into a refreshing grin, his mood taking a turn so quick it was as if the fury he just felt directed at the beast known as Heiwajima Shizuo never existed.

"Well then... Let's get to work, shall we."

The raven-haired man continued to speak to the air, pulling out a phone from one of his pockets.

_'At first I thought that being stuck like this for the time being would put me at a greater disadvantage, but it worked out nicely for me in the end.'_

Izaya snickered to himself as he tapped on the screen of the smartphone.

_'It won't be long until that doctor who_ _’_ _s moonlighting as a detective realises that he's missing a little something... But, with Shizu-chan here for company, Shinra is probably going to keep prattling on and on until his dear loved one is back, which might keep the both of them busy for quite some time...'_

"Good," Izaya breathed in a satisfied whisper, "very good."

The screen displayed the interface of a chatroom he had grown to be extremely familiar with over the years.

"Alright then..."

Izaya scrolled through the chat log, his inbox, his private logs – simultaneously skimming and combing through everything that he could get his hands on that could update him on what had happened in his absence from the city where his beloved humans dwelled.

He started with the day and the exact time at which he was called out to attend to his business, went past everything he could find, until he came upon the records of the private chatroom he shared with a particular high school boy. It was made up of a jumble of sentences and questions, and ended off with an honest cry of disbelief and amazement, fear and curiosity all at once.

"......I see. So that's how you've played your move."

The corners of Izaya's lips curled in further to form a frigid, corrosive smile.

Yet at the same time, his eyes glinted and shone ablaze as though there were a flame of pure excitement and euphoria burning bright in those fittingly auburn eyes.

"Well then in that case, it would be rude of me if I don't come up with a countermeasure of my own. After all, two can play at this game, and it's not one where I intend to lose."

The informant pressed the “lock” button on the phone and looked out of the window, narrowing his eyes to slits as if the mere sight of a clear blue afternoon sky offended him.

"Isn't that right... ‘Kanra-chan’?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A heavy chapter this time round... Most of the future chapters will be rather heavy, I think, as the characters get more and more involved with the villain(s)'s plans (nope it didn't resolve with the ME's disappearing act in the previous arc! :D). This semester is also pretty trying for me, so updates might be slower till the sem's over with chapters that are proofread and edited in a hurry, so there might be some mistakes or weird phrasing... So sorry about that!
> 
> I'll also take this chance to officially announce that this story will have a sequel as well as a spinoff. Yup, I've finally decided to go with this ambitious path to expand this crossover into a mini universe. (Too many ideas...!)
> 
> Initially the spinoff was considered a sequel as well, since it'll take place after Gameplay's events, but the focus is entirely different and there will be very little references to the events of this fic - though those references will spoil some Gameplay events - so I've decided to term it as a spinoff. To give you a rough idea of what it is going to be like, it was actually supposed to be a standalone, new fic focusing on Naoto, who will be tackling a particular case that's been unsolved for years: the case of Chisato's death. And the reason for her taking up this case, is because of something her grandfather (and now a certain information broker as well) told her...?
> 
> I've had the idea for this fic for years, it's going to be building on a headcanon of mine so I'm pretty excited to finally see it being realised. My decision to link it to Gameplay is because most of the IT haven't really gotten much development in this fic, so I want to use this spinoff to depict the new challenges they're facing (e.g. Chie in police school, Yukiko as the new manager of her inn) as much as I can which I can't really go into for Gameplay because that would be rather distracting. I think this gives the overall crossover 'verse - which I really need a name for ahaha - a more cohesive picture. It'll be listed in the Persona series category, 'cuz even though Izaya and some Gameplay events get a mention they're more for setting the stage and won't be having much purpose to the plot other than worldbuilding. It'll be driven entirely by the Persona characters. 
> 
> The direct sequel will be focusing on the DRRR cast instead, but it'll still be listed in the crossover category because some of the P4 characters will still be around and playing a bit of a role. I can't give a synopsis because that would be a huge spoiler hahaha I'll reveal more when this story comes to an end! :)
> 
> Long A/N, so sorry about that. Thank you all for all your support thus far! :D


	43. Walk on the Diagonal II

**April 28, 2013**

**In a private room at Russia Sushi**

"...I see... So that's why you think Orihara-san currently has possession of your head. Or has had it for quite some time at some point in the past."

At the words Naoto had spoken, the Headless Rider nodded. Then, she hastily brought up her PDA again, and started typing. [Um... But that's something I need to confirm with Izaya himself. So...until then, could you all please keep it a secret from Shinra for me? I don't want him to get the wrong ideas...]

"Don't worry, Celty-san, your secret's safe with us," Yosuke assured, giving the Dullahan a wink.

[That's good to hear.] Celty replied, visibly relaxing as though she had just heaved a sigh of relief.

"But if you don't mind me saying this, Celty-san..." Souji started saying. "I think Shinra-sensei is aware that you're keeping something from him. And especially since this may concern your relationship with him, I think it might be better if you tell him as soon as you can."

[Yes, I plan to do so after I go hound Izaya for answers.] Celty typed. [I just...need to be sure before I tell Shinra anything.]

"I understand," Souji said reassuringly.

"Still, though... To think that Orihara-san was trying to start a war to wake your head... He must really be scared of dying, huh. To want to be assured of the existence of an afterlife," Rise spoke, a light frown forming on her features. "No wonder his Shadow kept talking about things like Valhalla or Heaven..."

Naoto gave a quiet sigh. "That made me wonder...if that was the true driving force behind Orihara-san's actions. Why he did the things he did..."

"About the whole suicidal group thing while using a fake name, right?" Kanji asked, to which the young detective nodded.

"Indeed. I am now of the belief that Orihara-san wasn't doing it simply for his own entertainment, as much as he wants other people to believe that it is."

"I get it... Being that scared of death, he must've wanted to know why and how those people could bring themselves to take their own lives. Why and how those people could stop fearing death," Yukiko said, casting her gaze downward.

[Huh? So it wasn't just some sick hobby? There was actually a point to the things he did?]

Almost immediately after Celty typed and showed that message, she shook her "head" and hurriedly erased it.

[No no no, whatever the reason it doesn't excuse what he did. It's still an unnecessarily cruel thing to do to other people.]

"Of course," Souji agreed, speaking for the rest of the Investigation Team as well. "But at least we're able to understand him a little better now. Maybe it can help us think of a way we can help him."

[Wait, you... You all still intend to do that? For him? After all that's happened?]

Chie laughed somewhat awkwardly, somewhat nervously. "Ahh haha... Weird, huh? Even though we said we'd accept whatever decision he's made for himself?"

"But it's precisely 'cuz we know so much now, especially after today, that we know we can't just leave things be," Kanji added with a grin.

"That's right," Yosuke pitched in. "Orihara-san doesn't have to live like that. Sure, it's his life, and we respect his decision, but... But there's gotta be some other way. I'm sure of it."

[No, that's not what I mean...] Celty typed out, still a little shocked by the adolescents' earnest hearts and feelings. [I mean, why would you do that for someone like Izaya? I hope you don't mind my bluntness, but I honestly think he's not worth the effort... As much as Shinra and I want to believe otherwise, that guy won't change. Besides, you've all already done more than enough for him.]

"That may appear to be true," Naoto responded, pausing as her lips curled to form a soft yet firm and steady smile. "However, I believe everyone is capable of change. As long as we continue to live, to cross the paths of other people... The opportunities for change have always been imminent. Surely a time will come when we realise, understand, and stop fearing that."

Celty looked at the detective for a moment, before her shoulders shook slightly in a silent chuckle. [Out of curiosity, was that what you said to Izaya yesterday? When the two of you began speaking in a different language.]

"Oh! Well, whaddya know? Celty-san saw right through you!" Yosuke barked a laugh as Naoto brushed her bangs aside again, a light shade of red dusting her cheeks.

Rise let out a knowing giggle. "Naoto-kun's pretty much the most optimistic one out of all of us when it comes to Orihara-san, after all. Even when he tricked her like that in a past case, she still believes that he can be given a second chance."

[...Wait. Wait wait wait. U-uhhh I had a feeling you two had some sort of history together, but... Naoto-chan, you can't possibly...]

"I-it's nothing like that," Naoto was quick to protest, trying to do so while maintaining her usual composure. The way the pitch of her voice rose, however, clearly betrayed her. "It's just... Orihara-san, he... My grandfather..."

[He's even met your family already?!]

"Th-that's not what I meant," Naoto replied, exasperated.

"Y-yeah, what she said!" Kanji hastily agreed. Ignoring the winks and knowing glances he was getting from the rest of his friends – save from Naoto herself – the Yasogami Third Year continued, "That Orihara-san guy was just...someone who dropped by her house real often. Y'know, to fish for the latest intel and...stuff... 'Cuz that's what he does as an info broker, right?"

[...He. Did. WHAT.]

"Uh... Huh?"

"Smooth, Kanji. Real smooth," Yosuke commented, shaking his head. Across him, Yukiko started snorting into her hand. "That totally did not sound wrong on so many levels. Totally."

"Sh-shuddup! I ain't good at explaining myself either, okay?!" Kanji retorted, face turning as beet red as Naoto's was, who was doing all she could to restrain herself from burying her face with her hands.

"I-it's alright, Tatsumi-kun. Thank you very much for lending your assistance," she said. Kanji deflated into his seat without a word or sound of acknowledgement, simply remaining very silent and very red as Naoto attempted to clarify the situation before Celty's misunderstanding ran deeper than it already had.

The young detective took a deep breath, and waited until she was sufficiently calm enough before she started, "A few years ago, I met a man who frequently visited the Shirogane mansion to conduct interviews with my grandfather, for the purposes of his university project...or so he had claimed. That man is Orihara-san, who introduced himself as Sakazaki-san to my grandfather as well as myself." A brief pause. "Sakazaki-san, I mean, Orihara-san was somebody who would gladly share his knowledge and insight with me. It helped me in some of the cases I had worked on back then. He...was a person I had admired."

After those words left her lips, Naoto lowered her head slightly, seemingly embarrassed as she stared at her hands, and then looked up again before anyone could think of saying anything in response to her admittance.

"But approximately three years later, I was assigned to investigate the unusual rise in suicides, the increase being particularly prominent in Ikebukuro. As a result, I came here to look into the situation further. Subsequently, I learned about the circulation of web links directing to online suicide groups that were all mysteriously set up by the same person, called Nakura-san, and so, using an alias, I joined one myself to have a clearer understanding of its possible link to the case. And eventually... I managed to track Nakura-san down."

As she explained what had happened, though it was slight and barely noticeable each time Naoto progressively looked more and more troubled, until it came to a point when Celty could tell how difficult it was for Naoto to talk about such a matter – an incident where her trust in somebody she openly admitted she had once admired was so horribly misplaced and betrayed, when she of all people should've been able to see through his lies – and hurriedly intervened.

[It's fine, Naoto-chan. You don't need to say anymore. Izaya did a terrible thing because he's a terrible person by nature. It's no fault of yours.]

To Celty's surprise, however, she was met with a small smile on the young detective's face, a smile that was mirrored by her closest camaraderie.

"I appreciate your sentiment, Sturluson-san. Truly, I do. However, as uncanny as this might sound... I'm actually...glad. That I went through such an experience," Naoto revealed.

Celty very nearly dropped her PDA. [You do?! But that's... Well...]

"Yes, I do believe I should've been more discerning. It was my lack of judgement that led me to such an encounter. For that to have occurred was evidence of my inexperience." Naoto paused momentarily, before continuing, "And yet... I cannot say that it was entirely bad. On hindsight, I should probably even be grateful to Orihara-san, for what he had said to me on that day when I nearly apprehended him. And for reminding me, on two separate occasions – one directly, another somewhat indirectly – those very same words he had said back then."

[...I can't believe I'm actually asking this, especially when it's better to not trust anything that comes out of that man's mouth, but... what did he say to you?]

A faint shade of red spread across Naoto's features, but it faded as soon as it appeared. "That it's ironic and yet terribly human, how one who is supposed to be pursuing the truth behind unsolved mysteries, is in fact hiding one of the greatest secrets from the world. That he knew that I am...merely a girl. A young girl, at that, pretending to be someone I'm not – someone who appears to be far more capable than I actually am – when in fact all I have been doing is hiding in the shadow of my grandfather and of the Shirogane name, riding on the coattails of my family and of somebody who doesn't really exist in order to cover up for my own incompetence."

The Dullahan's fingers scrambled across the keyboard in a fury. [Why that no good Izaya...! Saying such horrible things...!]

"Wasn't the worst of it though," Kanji mumbled, earning an elbow to the side from Yosuke.

It, however, did not go by Celty unnoticed. [What? What else did that guy say?]

"Nothing, nothing important," Yosuke replied, and everyone else quickly agreed, which Celty would obviously have none of as she pointed at the words on the screen. In the end, the brunet conceded. And with a sigh and Naoto's silent approval, he revealed to Celty the words that had supposedly become a taboo for any of them to mention.

[WHAT?!] The Investigation Team nearly cringed at the outburst that did not need a voice to be heard. Loudly and clearly. It was probably no figment of their imagination that there was some sort of muffled hissing sound coming from the Headless Rider as she very nearly slammed her fingers against the virtual keyboard.

The screen flashed over to Naoto's eyes. [He dared to tell you that there's no point in your life if that's the way you decided to live it?! I can't believe him! I knew there isn’t a shred of goodness in him but I didn't think...!]

"W-well," Naoto started replying, after clearing her throat, "I do not deny that what Orihara-san said had sounded cold and cruel, but it was impossible to refute his words. Simply because he had just delivered what had always been the hard truth I myself believed in, at that time. No matter how many times I tried to challenge his claims, he could always turn them around against me."

Celty's shoulders slumped in a noiseless, disappointed sigh. [I'm sorry you had to meet someone like him.]

Naoto let out a quiet chuckle. "A stifling experience indeed. It was around that time that the Inaba serial murder case was brought to my attention. And I accepted it without a moment's hesitation, threw myself into it and started developing an...obsession, if you will, with it. I wouldn't go as far to claim that it was entirely because of what Orihara-san said. But...perhaps it was because of that incident that I started viewing Orihara-san as no different from any other colleague, and thus I...charged into attempting to prove all of them wrong." She lowered her gaze to the floor and swept her bangs away once again. "It is...such a folly of mine, is it not?"

Then the detective looked up again, meeting everybody's eyes as she continued speaking before anyone could think of a proper reply to her, "But because of that – because of my attitude towards my work back then – I was able to face my Shadow and gain such trustworthy companions in the people sitting right in this very room. People who accept me for who I am, regardless of how I've been in the past, how I am today, and how I will be in the future. We are all the same, in this regard. That's why... I believe, someday, Orihara-san will be able to find someone who can do the same for him."

[And...all of you would be that someone? Simply out of the belief that even someone like him can change if he knows there are people who accept him no matter what?]

"Of course it's not as easy as we're making it sound like," Yukiko said, a tender and graceful smile forming upon her lips. "But knowing that there _are_ people who can truly accept us, flaws and all... Just that thought alone is enough to keep us going and believing."

[...I see.] The Dullahan paused to give a silent chuckle. [As I thought, you all are such strong kids. That's what I find so admirable about you.]

"We're not really..." Yosuke trailed off with a sheepish laugh, scratching the back of his head. The others, save for Teddie who looked like was about to hop up and down in his seat, didn't seem as bashful at having been praised so straightforwardly, or rather they hid it well behind their smiles of acknowledgement and gratitude.

[Especially you, Naoto-chan.] Celty later added, to Naoto's mild surprise. [It's not easy forgiving someone who treated you like that. And you even wish him well, at that. That's not something just anybody can do.]

"That's why we're so proud of our Nao-chan!" Teddie exclaimed.

The detective in question, however, begged to differ. "Ah, no... It is not complete forgiveness, to be precise. I would argue that it is more similar to offering a second chance to former convicts or violators of the law. The fact that they once committed crimes would continue to remain in their records. But, at the same time, they are given more opportunities to prove that they are more than simply their own wrongdoings."

[That's quite the analogy.] Celty replied, just as impressed as she had been earlier.

"I know right?" Rise sang chirpily. "The whole deal with Orihara-san must've helped her in understanding things better. No wonder Naoto-kun's Persona changed at that time."

"And the fact that Naoto-kun's Persona can continue to change again...means that ours can, too," Yosuke said with a grin. "Maybe our Personas can keep growing along with us. Just that we haven't to that point just yet when we're ready for...something, I guess."

"Mm-hm. It may not be right now, or any time soon... And it may not be in this place, either. But I believe it can happen. To all of us," Yukiko agreed, her tone warmly passionate and hopeful. "After all, we don't stop growing just because we feel like we've come a long way."

Chie gave a firm nod. "Yeah. Wherever we go, whenever it is, there's bound to be problems. It's all about how we tackle them, and what we learn from them. Like..." She paused to grimace, her features crossed with tints of shame and dread. "...Like what's probably waiting for me back in police school."

The air around the room dampened even further as more heads were lowered and bowed.

Celty tilted her "head" to the side, slightly puzzled at the shift in the team's mood. [Why? What's wrong with police school?] A shiver ran through her entire body as she typed the other half of the message. [Is it...the training? Are they training people who can be potential traffic police in the future who'll be tasked with chasing down poor innocent horses across the whole of Ikebukuro?]

"Huh? Oh, no, they're not doing stuff like that. ...I think," Chie added the last bit as an afterthought, albeit in a very quiet manner. "It's just... I promised the Inspector that I'd make up for all the training I missed, which really sounded like a great idea at first. But when I think about it... It's a whole lot of training. Ahaha... Hah..."

"Don't you like it though?" Kanji questioned. "I thought you're into kungfu and all that stuff."

"Well, yeah, but having to make up for two weeks' worth is a little too much," Chie shot back. "And besides, it's not just the training I have to worry about. There's a bunch of theory lessons I've missed, too."

"Ooh," Kanji grunted, wincing on Chie's behalf. "Sounds worse than me. I mean, least I've got Naoki helpin' me out with catching up. And Senpai's been tutorin' me a little too, when we've got the time."

"Geez, you're so lucky," Chie groaned, before perking up and shrugging the whole thing off. "Ah well. This is what I want, so...guess I gotta grin and bear it when I officially report back on Tuesday."

"I...don't think that's what people normally say about things they like," Yosuke pointed out.

Celty held up her PDA in evident surprise. [...Wait. Tuesday? As in, you're leaving that soon?]

Yukiko covered her gaping jaw slightly. "Ah, that's right, we didn't tell anybody else, did we?"

"That's right, it totally slipped our minds! We decided that we'll be heading back to Inaba tomorrow," Chie informed, before she corrected herself. "Well, Yukiko, Kanji-kun and Teddie are the ones going back. I'm heading to the police school, but I got to report in by tomorrow night."

[B-but, why so sudden...? I mean, I understand you have your own lives to return to, it's just...]

"We're sorry, Cel-chan," Teddie replied, looking a bit ashamed. "But Golden Week is coming up, which means it's gonna be bear-y busy back at Yuki-chan's inn and Junes, so Yuki-chan and I need to go back to help get things ready. And Kanji's test thingys are coming up soon, too, so there's lots for him to prepare. We only decided on it this morning, and then right after so many things happened, so we forgot to mention it."

[I see... That's a pity. Shinra and I...and Shizuo and Izaya – we haven't properly thanked you yet for all you've done. Izaya, especially, should be more appreciative of your efforts.]

"Oh no, it's okay, Celty-san," Yukiko said reassuringly. "We didn't do all those things expecting to be thanked for them. We're happy enough that Orihara-san is alright... But, it would've been better if we could've solved the case to its fullest before we left..."

"Well, at least the others'll still be here," Kanji said.

"I'm not so sure about that... For myself, I mean," Rise spoke, wearing a frown. "After what happened today, I have a feeling Inoue-san isn't going to approve of my coming here anymore. Not for the next few days, at least. It took me a while to convince him to let me join you guys here in this place, and I don't think he's gonna be that easily persuaded again."

"Aww," Teddie moaned. "Not even with Rise-chan's crocodile tears?"

"Inoue-san can see through that right away, he _is_ the manager of a couple of teen idols, after all," Rise replied, flashing a weak smile in spite of herself. "But don't worry too much about it! If something big really does happen, I'll think of a way to give the support you need, I promise!"

"So for now it's down to the three of us, then? Me, Partner, and Naoto," Yosuke said, exchanging a quick look with the two people he just mentioned as he said their names.

Eventually, after a moment of silence in the room, Souji gave his friend a nod, as if answering some telepathic communication that the others were not privy to, and said, "I think it should be alright. Even though now we've got a potential war we ought to be watching out for, I don't think the enemies would focus all their attention on Ikebukuro alone. Inaba and even Tatsumi Port Island may be implicated in this, if it's an all-out war that's about to happen. That makes your return to Inaba all the more important. And besides..." The silver-haired adolescent paused to give a soft smile. "It's not just the three of us who will be here."

Some of his teammates, as well as Celty, casted him rather puzzled looks then. Yosuke, however, was grinning and snickering, while Naoto, who caught onto what Souji had implied as well, chuckled quietly. "I see. Indeed, we do make a full team, provided Kujikawa-san is able to lend her support."

"Hold on, what are you guys talking about? I mean, a full team is four of us who're up front and fightin' plus either Rise or Teds as support, but..."

"Ohhh," Yukiko breathed, eyes brightening with understanding. "I do see a full team here."

"Ohh," Rise mirrored with a smile. "I get it now. Heehee~ Senpai, did you already decide to do that but never got the chance to make an official announcement till now?"

"You can say that," Souji admitted, a little meekly.

"Huh? Sorry, I'm kinda lost? Even taking Rise-chan into account, there's only four of us right here in Ikebukuro, right? I mean, yeah, there's still Heiwajima-san, but we haven't really...asked him...if he..." Chie paused. "...Oh."

[You're...planning on inviting Shizuo officially into your team?] Celty hurriedly typed out.

"That's right," Souji confirmed, and his suggestion was met with a resounding consensus amongst his teammates. "It's just... I'm not sure if Heiwajima-san would mind."

[Oh no… On the contrary, I think he would be very happy to hear that.] Celty affirmed.

"That would be a relief," Souji replied. "Ah, but I haven't thought of a good way to approach this topic with him just yet, so until then can I trouble you to keep it a secret for me? I'd like to inform him personally and ask him for his opinion."

Celty nodded gladly and excitedly. [Sure, not an issue. Thank you for extending an invitation to him. It might not seem like he works well with other people at first, and his temper might get out of hand at times, but... He has a good heart and kind intentions. If it's to fight for something he personally believes in, he'll pull no stops to help. So, um... If he gets a bit impatient or violent with the Shadows, or something that doesn't sit well with you, please don't stay mad at him for too long and, um, be patient with him. He takes some time to warm up to others...]

"I understand," Souji assured with a laugh. "Don't worry, Celty-san. I have no concerns about working together with Heiwajima-san, and neither do my friends. We wouldn't have made the offer otherwise. Even if he turns it down, I have no doubt that he will make a great ally.”

At this, the leader of the Investigation Team then paused for a while, his steady and quietly confident smile turning into a thin frown, the sight of which probably warranted a bit of concern on Celty's part about the topic of Shizuo's recruitment. Souji, noticing that, tried to set her at ease.

"Ah, no... It's nothing. I was just thinking...if it might be possible for us to go to Inaba together for Golden Week."

[To...Inaba?]

"Yes," Souji confirmed. "But if we do need to be on the lookout for a war, then it might not be a good idea for us to go."

"Oh, that's...true," Yukiko agreed, a little crestfallen. "Nanako-chan is going to be disappointed. Just this morning, you called back to say you'll be heading there to spend your Golden Week holiday, didn't you?"

"I did," Souji sighed. "I know it can't be helped now. I'll try to break it to Nanako later."

"Don't worry, partner. Nanako-chan's a big girl now. I'm sure she understands," Yosuke said with a wink.

"I have faith in her too," Souji replied, smiling.

"...But seriously," Kanji piped up. "Why's the bad guy always so bent on making Golden Week messed up for us? Happened last time, and it might be happening again this time. What, it's got a thing for Golden Week or something...?"

"No way, that's just a coincidence. I mean nothing big was going on in Golden Week two years back, if I'm remembering right," Yosuke was quick to reply.

[Golden Week...? Now that you mention it, I think something happened during Golden Week last year.]

"Wait, really? Last year, too?"

[Yes, it was quite a mess... But, I don't think it has anything to do with the Malevolent Entity. Maybe it's just a coincidence, as you've said.]

"...Just to be sure," Souji spoke, "is it alright with you if we ask what happened, exactly?"

***

**At the same time, inside a private ward at Ikebukuro Hospital**

"...If anybody has a reasonable explanation for this, I'd like to hear it immediately."

"That's, um... "

The group of men who were clad in business suits and dull-coloured ties mumbled amongst themselves, breaking out in cold sweat despite being in a hospital ward where the room conditions were kept rather strictly at a low temperature.

The sole woman in the room stood before them, arms folded across her chest parallel to the ground. She regarded each and every man present a glare that sent a chill that could be said to be even colder than the ward itself down their spines, eyes narrowed and features hardened with a clearly displeased expression fixated on her face.

"Anybody at all?" Yagiri Namie asked, once again, and was met with nervous silence.

Then, one of her former staff shakily, yet composedly, tried to speak up, "Well, ma'am, if I may..."

"Get on with it," Namie shot back without a moment's hesitation.

The man gulped, but carried on speaking, knowing that there was no turning back the moment he opened his mouth. "I suspect... Yakugawa-san is the one behind this."

His colleagues spared him nervous glances, but voiced neither agreement nor disagreement with his claim. Namie, with as an unreadable expression as ever, simply gestured for him to continue explaining.

"I can't be completely certain," he first clarified. "However, it is too much of a coincidence, all things considered. Yakugawa-san, who was supposed to be on watch duty over Harima Mika for today, is nowhere to be seen, and has disappeared along with her. In the first place, ma'am, wasn't Yakugawa-san the one who was tasked to bring Harima Mika to this facility? Secondly, the specimen which was under Kumamoto-san's supervision had vanished without a trace as well, and the others who had been guarding it along with him were all found to be knocked unconscious. However, was not Yakugawa-san supposed to be taking over Kumamoto's shift last night as well? In my honest opinion, considering Yakugawa-san's schedule, and the fact that all of this happened at once, cannot be a mere coincidence, ma'am."

"Good," Namie readily gave a word of praise, a rare occasion in and by itself, before turning it around in a split second without mercy, "You pretty much said everything I don't already know. Don't you think I've already figured out by now that Yakugawa is suspicious?"

"Urk... I-I'm sorry, ma'am..."

"What I want to know," she swiftly added, causing her staff to lower their heads even further, "is where that girl and the disgusting head are now, who Yakugawa is working for, and what in the world my search team is doing because they have not gotten back to me on anything concerning what I just mentioned."

The men could only stay silent.

Namie raised a brow curtly. "Well?"

"Perhaps I may be of assistance."

As a gruffy, muffled voice spoke from behind her, Namie almost turned around on instinct but stopped when a cool barrel of a gun was pressed against her back, stiffening.

In front of her, her men scrambled to action, losing their wooden postures completely as they faced the unknown newcomer. They were clearly still jittery from her direct confrontation, but there was no denying their kneejerk reaction to protect their employer.

"Y-you... Let Miss Yagiri go!"

"To bring a gun out so brazenly and point it at Miss Yagiri... Who are you?!"

The person who was holding the former head of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals chortled gleefully.

"Who am I, you ask? Who am I, I wonder? There can be one answer, or there can be many. For I am one, yet I do not exist alone."

"...Th-this guy... What is he blabbering about?"

"Might he be someone from another department in the hospital...?"

"But he is not dressed in the patient garments..."

The men in suits started murmuring, unsure of how to proceed from here.

In stark contrast, Yagiri Namie let out a sigh, turning her head slightly to give the man who was presumably holding her hostage a sideways glance.

"For you to be in this hospital at this moment and so conveniently having that silly toy of yours at the same time... I knew I should have reported you to the police the previous time you pulled the exact same stunt on me."

At that Kishitani Shingen snickered into his gas mask, sounding almost like a dirty old man as he lifted the gun away and twirled it in his gloved hand, to the bewilderment of Namie's henchmen and the displeasure of the woman herself.

"You wouldn't have been able to convince them of anything I'm guilty of, though, niece of Seitarou. Like I said previously, the possession of firearms is strictly prohibited in Japan, and unlike that employer of yours I do actually value my own safety and try to stay out of trouble as much as I can. I wouldn't be able to carry on with my research otherwise. So! I always make sure I stay as clean as possible!"

"He's no longer my employer," Namie bit through gritted teeth.

"Oh is that so? Well, it's a good thing I got here in time, then! I can't imagine what would've happened to poor Orihara-kun if they got to you first. That's an outcome I hope to prevent."

"...When you put it in that way, then all the more I wish I had reported you years ago."

"You detest him that much, eh?" Shingen chuckled, rubbing the part of his mask covering his chin. "But I can tell that it's not just hatred you feel towards him, Namie-kun. It's far from love, but you do care about him in your own way."

"That's a disgusting theory," Namie responded coldly. "One that is in no way true. The only reason he hasn't died by my hands yet is because I still have use of him. Nothing more than that. Even if he were to drop dead at this instant, I wouldn't mind in the least."

"Oh-ho, I see. Is that the same reason why you let Harima-kun live till now instead of ending her when you sent your subordinate after her?"

The brows on Namie's face furrowed together so tightly wrinkles started forming around them, her nose crinkling. From behind her, her subordinates bristled, their tempers flaring as they stepped forward collectively.

"Ma'am, you don't have to put up with this man. Please, just give us the order and we'll throw him out for you."

Her reply, however, was far from what they expected. "...That won't be necessary."

"H-huh?"

"Leave us be."

"W-what?"

Namie turned, sending them a glare. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Y-yes, we did, but..."

"But we can't just leave you alone with this...suspicious character."

"You can and you will," Namie replied, pointedly ignoring Shingen puffing his chest out out of some form of pride in being called something most would consider an insult. "Now all of you, out."

"But, ma'am..."

"I will not repeat myself again. _Out._ "

The men exchanged worried glances with one another, before resignedly shuffling out in turn. Namie waited until the last of them had left and the door closed shut before sharply turning to face Shingen once more.

"What exactly are you here for?" she demanded.

"Hm?"

"You talked as if you know someone will be coming to meet me. And that it will have something to do with the most insufferable human being on earth. Then you deliberately tried to get me to admit to something about that girl. I know you can't simply be here without any good reason." A pause, as Namie's eyes narrowed to slits. "Especially not when you said you could be 'of assistance'."

"Oopsie, you remembered what I said, after all," Shingen said, shrugging nonchalantly, the gun still out in the open in his hand. "Not that I expected any less from the young lady who took charge of a pharmaceutical company at that age. Seitarou did entrust it to you for good reason."

"Please, don't try to change the subject," Namie requested dryly. "If there's something you know that can help me find those vixens, then by all means, please do. If not, then I ask that you stop fooling around and wasting my time."

"How rude! Do I come off as the kind of man who would deliberately try to waste your precious time?"

Namie raised a silent brow.

Shingen deflated exaggeratedly, before regaining his composure and looking Namie directly in the eye. "Tell me, Yagiri Namie-kun. How long have you been working for Orihara-kun?"

"Had worked," Namie corrected, before answering the sudden question with a vague sense of suspicion, "I didn't keep track of the exact dates, but I am fairly certain it had been two years."

"In those two years, did you ever try killing him?"

Namie snorted. "Thought about it everyday, but never acted on it."

"Well, why didn't you?"

"Is there a point to this?"

"Of course there is. Responsible adults don't do pointless things."

"You're nearly on the same level as that insufferable man..." Namie mumbled with a worn out sigh. "Anyway. As I already explained, the only reason he hasn't died by my hands yet is because I have use of him. He used to keep track of Seiji's whereabouts and details of his life when I wasn't around to keep watch. And the amount he paid as my salary was ridiculous. I wouldn't be able to earn that much in other professions."

"Basically, it was for the sake of your brother and money," Shingen summarised.

Namie shrugged. "You can call it that."

"Then what about Harima-kun? You have every reason to terminate her life, just like you do for Orihara-kun, yet you let her live too."

"Because she deserves a life worse than death," Namie answered simply, icily, without any hesitation. "Besides, if she died as well, then she would be joining Seiji in death. Someone like her doesn't deserve to have that kind of privilege."

Shingen snapped his fingers. "And that's where you erred, Namie-kun."

"...Hah?"

"By letting Harima-kun live for a reason like that, instead of looking at her the same way you view Orihara-kun, you've walked right into the enemy's trap. That's why they managed to get their hands on her as well as Celty-kun's head. You have no one to blame but yourself for what you've lost."

"Are you actually trying to lecture me?" Namie questioned, slightly flabbergasted, mixing in a somewhat bitter chuckle. "That's quite unlike you, to be perfectly blunt."

"I'm only reacting this way because the head has fallen into the enemy's hands. You have to understand, Namie-kun, that head has been my private investment for decades. I left it in the Yagiris' hands only because I had no choice at that time, but it was different with Orihara-kun as I believe his theory has a certain potential, an explorative angle even I haven't considered before, and I wanted to see where he would take it. Instead of seeing it get stolen away by people who want it for a dull and boring purpose. As a scientist and a researcher, that's something I can't stand, even though I'm a man of this kind of character."

"Huh," Namie murmured. "So... What, I should've looked at that girl and thought about what use I would have of her even though she has already outlived her usefulness? Killed her instead of letting her live?"

"Kids these days don't know remorse well enough," Shingen huffed, placing both hands on his waist and shaking his head. "Be glad I'm actually laying it out so systematically for you, at least. Listen well, Namie-kun. You might think Harima-kun is no longer of any use to you, but you've failed to consider it from another angle. You failed to take into account her usefulness _in the eyes of people other than yourself._ And in that regard, Harima-kun should've been more useful to you and worth even more focused efforts on guarding – because you would've had the upper hand in this game. Triumphing over even the main participants themselves."

"Aren't you exaggerating a little?"

"It's no exaggeration when I'm talking about a high schooler who has an information network that rivals – and perhaps even exceeds – that of a professional information broker. And now that I've brought this up, let me ask you something else... Did the thought of asking Harima-kun, instead od Orihara-kun, to look into your brother's death ever cross your mind at all?"

Namie's eyes gradually widened. "That's…just...” she mumbled, mostly to herself. “That’s just…so…”

Shingen let out a sigh. "...Well, what's done is done. You lost the head, and I've already reprimanded you for that. So I'll be the kind, understanding adult I am and say that I forgive you so that we can move past this topic."

Namie glowered at him, but relaxed as soon as it surfaced, realising and understanding that she was currently in no position to retort him so bluntly like she had earlier.

Shingen met her eyes directly once more, but this time he was taking on an even more serious demeanour, one that could be seen and detected even through the gas mask he was wearing.

"What I really want to discuss with you – is about a particular pet project of mine that I've been working on."

As Shingen spoke those words, he took a few steps closer, shortening the gap between him and Namie. He raised one arm out, the one that was holding onto the gun, and brought the weapon closer to her as if he was requesting for her to perform a thorough visual observation of the object.

"But first, I think it would be best if I explained to you...the true purpose of this gun model."

***

**At around the same time, along the streets of Ikebukuro**

_'Why...? Why?'_ Anri asked herself, over and over again, as she dashed along the pavements by the road. _'Why is it...because of Saika again?'_

It was a question that she couldn't find the answer to, even when she repeatedly directed it to the demonic entity – once thought to be two separate entities fused as one – that had was currently living in her body, in the blood flowing through her veins.

Back then, when she had made the resolve to absorb the fog afflicting the town and to see it through the end even when the supposedly new demon tried to rattle her up, not once did the wielder of Saika sense that the presence was actually part of Saika itself, and not simply a supernatural force or being that behaved in a similar manner. However, upon reflecting, Anri did acknowledge that there were similarities – common points that the two shared that were so similar to the point of almost being eerily identical, and that made the newfound discovery of the two fogs being one and the same a little bit easier to swallow.

Aside from the love they – it – shared for the whole of humanity, and their – its – desires for humanity to entrust their fears to them – it – as well as the characteristic flood of voices that were near impossible to drown out if not for Anri's way of life, there was also something else that made the two – one – similar.

And that was the fact that they both – it – could suppress specific memories of the individuals Saika collectively resided in.

It would make complete sense for how people could so easily forget about Orihara Izaya, because it was just like what happened to the children Anri usually commanded to "forget about meeting her". And how those people could live as if Izaya truly never existed, similar to how Anri usually told Saika's children to "go back to their normal lives as if nothing happened", except twisted and taken to the extreme.

But more importantly, it would also explain why, once Anri called upon the fragments of Saika living in its children's souls, those same children were able to recall all of their "lost" memories.

When she thought about it that way, then it all came together and made sense. The problems, then, would be who exactly the child that split off without her realizing it was, and why they did the things they did.

 _'...In the end, it's my fault,'_ Anri believed, lowering her gaze to the ground as she continued running. _'If I had been more careful... Saika wouldn't have...'_

 _"Someone..."_ she started calling out as she ran deeper and deeper into the city, further and further away from Celty and Shinra's apartment, hazelnut brown eyes flashing blood red. _"Is anyone...there? Please...answer me. I need to ask someone...about something very important..."_

Silence replied her. And Anri, who was not quite prepared for the time when a child of Saika would never respond to a call like this, only grew more anxious and even more certain that something had gone horribly awry – long before any of this happened, long before Anri went to that blue room with Celty and took the fog into herself.

And she, who was supposed to have been keeping Saika under control, had failed to realise it all this while.

_"A-anyone...?"_

_"Good afternoon, Sonohara Anri. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."_

With a gasp, Anri pulled back, stopping by wherever she was at the moment. She knew she was probably gaining some unwanted attention from the people around her, but paid little heed to their presence and stares as they walked past her and started taking a step forward as though she were walking normally, keeping her head low while she focused on the unfamiliar voice.

_"Who are...you?"_

_"You may not know much about me, but I certainly know a great deal about you,"_ the voice, which was distinctly female, replied in a curt, business-like manner. The tone and language that she used was polite and formal, but the way she addressed Anri was undeniably cold and bordering disrespectful.

Anri grabbed a fistful of the corner of her black long-sleeved hoodie and clutched onto it tightly. _"That's not really...answering my question."_

 _"Indeed, it is not,"_ the person whom Anri assumed was an older woman spoke. _"But it does not mean that whatever I said is false. Neither am I being or meaning to sound pretentious when I said I know a great deal about you. For instance... Your precious friend, Ryuugamine Mikado_ _—_ _"_

_"...?!"_

_"_ _—_ _and your other close friend, Kida Masaomi... They're the two people who are most important to you, aren't they? It's because of them that you're trying so hard to make sure things are in order. Am I right?"_

Anri tightened her grip, but remained silent, not knowing what to say.

If she had agreed readily, then she would be confirming this stranger's assessment of her and possibly putting Mikado and Masaomi in even more danger. However, if she were to disagree, then this person would be able to turn it around and say that Anri was trying to lie in order to protect her friends. Either case was risky, and so Anri kept silent, even though she knew and understood that her silence was akin to a confirmation.

Eventually, she decided on an appropriate response.

 _"...What did you do to them?"_ Anri asked cautiously.

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I don't think...you would contact me and then bring up their names so readily if you haven't done anything to them."_

_"...You're quite the accuser, Sonohara Anri. Quite clever and astute, I must admit."_

Anri drew in a long and steady breath.

_"It is you...right?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"The one who helped...the Malevolent Entity release the fog. The fog that tried to suppress everyone's memories. And...the one who commanded a Saika child...to attack and take Kujikawa-san hostage, in the name of the Dollars... Right?"_

_"...I see. So you already know."_

_"Why...?! Why are you doing this...?"_ Anri instinctively and impulsively lashed out, before recoiling and trying to keep her composure.

The woman whom she had correctly deduced was the Saika child that had gone wayward did not reply immediately, instead letting a moment of silence to settle and linger before a soft sigh – almost sounding like a dignified scoff – could be heard.

_"Since you have decided to be upfront with me, then I shall cut to the chase, myself."_

Right at that moment, Anri could hear scattered footsteps coming from behind her. She hurried her pace a little, and allowed just the tip of her Saika to protrude out of her palm.

_"Sonohara Anri. I don't take kindly to active interferences with my plan."_

The stranger's voice turned even more emotionless than before.

_"And you_ _–_ _are one of the biggest obstacles preventing me from achieving my goal."_

The footsteps from behind Anri sounded closer than ever, the chilling killer instinct bleeding out from whoever their owner was and seeping into Anri's skin like a direct infusion of iced water into her veins.

Anri sharply turned on her heel and swung her right arm across in front of her.

Sparks flew as metal struck against metal, blade against blade. Shocked gasps and yelps sprung from the ordinary Ikebukuro citizens around them, some fleeing the scene with cries of "The Slasher! The Slasher is here!", some scrambling to get their phones out for various purposes – calling the police, snapping photos – and others, remaining at a safe distance as they watched on with widened eyes and hands over their gaping jaws.

The features on her face softened as Anri took in a shuddering breath, the cold sensation spreading throughout her entire body when she realised who it was that had just attacked her so mercilessly. Her blade shivered like chattering teeth in the winter, and she almost found herself loosening her grip, almost letting the other person's scalpel tear into her skin.

"...Harima...san...?"

The name of the person who saved her from the bullies in middle school rolled off Anri's tongue in utter disbelief.

The attacker who bore that very name and the very same appearance, and who was currently adorned with a hospital gown and standing before her barefoot simply stared at Anri blankly, an empty, dazed look occupying her now bright, crimson eyes.

_'That's not...possible... I didn't...sense... When I was at the...hospital, I...'_

_"Of course you didn't realise it,"_ the woman whom Anri had nearly forgotten in the moment of her shock began to explain, without any care for the bespectacled girl's emotional state. _"After all, do you remember ever sensing the Saika within the people that fell victim to Niekawa Haruna's blade?"_

Anri didn't question how the wayward Saika child knew what she had been thinking about, neither did she choose to ask when exactly Mika had been infected with Saika's curse. Instead, she asked, shakily, _"Why... Why did you... To Harima-san...?!"_

 _"The answer should be obvious,"_ the stranger said icily. _"Her stellar information network."_

_"Eh...?"_

_"Harima Mika has a stellar information network,"_ the woman repeated, either misinterpreting Anri's confusion, or deliberately emphasising the point. _"One that rivals even Orihara Izaya's own. That makes her a valuable asset to me. It is for that reason that I allowed her to live."_

_"What...are you saying...? I don't understand..."_

_"...That is all I can tell you for now. At any rate, you are no longer a participant in this game. So if you would kindly_ _—_ _"_

_"A game...?"_ Blood red sclera flashed an even brighter shade of crimson. _"In your eyes...is this all...nothing but a game...?"_

There was a brief telepathic sigh before Anri felt herself being shoved back by the force of Mika's scalpel.

The brunette then swiftly placed a foot on the surface of Anri's blade as she propelled herself into the air, flipped backwards, and landed gracefully on her two bare feet at a distance away from Anri. Throughout it all, Mika's eyes remained wide and unblinking, her face completely devoid of any emotion or will.

_"As I was saying, Sonohara Anri..."_

Mika raised the hand holding onto the scalpel to her neck in a robotic fashion before Anri could react fast enough to stop her.

_"I would prefer if you stop interfering."_

"Harima-sa—"

 _"If I hear of any more antics from you, I won't hesitate to ask this girl to slit her own throat right in front of your eyes. As well as that of Ryuugamine Mikado and Kida Masaomi. You should know by now that I am more than capable of getting to them when I need to."_ The woman continued to speak, blatantly ignoring the anxiety that flashed across Anri's features at the mention of that, _"That goes for extending your help to those children from Inaba in your capacity as a wielder of Saika. No..._ especially _that. I will not tolerate...seeing anyone associated with Saika offering their help to Saika's enemies. It would do you well to remember that."_

Unable to say anything in response, Anri could only lower her head, directing her scarlet gaze to the tiles of the pavement as she clutched onto the hilt of her sword.

It was only after Mika's departure from the scene at the unknown woman's command that Anri fell to her knees, red eyes fading back to glassy brown as the katana melted back into her skin and returned to her blood, coursing throughout her body and whispering sweet-sounding promises of love all over again.

Around her the crowd had dispersed, resuming their daily activities, albeit with slightly more haste and worry, but on the whole the masses had seemingly put whatever they had just witnessed behind them, wanting no hand or personal participation in it, and simply waiting for the police to come and settle such incidents and for the news to later update them on what had been done.

It was as if the city had swallowed up even such an incident, digesting and stomaching it as simply part of everyday urban life; as if nothing of significance had just happened.


	44. Interlude: Lovey-Dovey Prattles of an Underground Doctor

**Lovey-Dovey Prattles of an Underground Doctor**

......and then and then, right at this moment my darling stepped up to the task like the gallant and noble lady she is—

...Huh? You want me to stop talking about Celty right at this instant?

But I can't, Shizuo-kun, there's just so much to talk about her that there's no way I can ever stop! That's right...! Just like my love for her... A love that's endless and bottomless and goes on for all eternity...!

...Yes, yes, exactly! My Celty is beautiful, charming, lovely, endearing, adorable, courageous, kind, strong, sweet, caring, thoughtful, powerful— Hey, wait wait, why are you listing all that out so monotonously? This is Celty we're talking about, you know. Celty! That's not how you should be describing her.

...Huh? You were just mimicking me in a sarcastic way? Why?

......That's mean, Shizuo-kun, to say so bluntly that you've had enough of listening to me talk about Celty. Isn't she your friend? Is that something a friend would say to a friend who's talking about his friend who happens to be that friend's lover?

...Oh, it's got nothing to do with Celty herself – well of course there can't be anything about Celty! – but it's just to prove to me how annoying I'm being?

In that case, it's fine! If it's to let other people know just how wonderful Celty is I don't mind playing the role of an annoying friend, even if it's _your_ nerves I'm getting on!

_OW!_

Owwwwwww Shizuo-kun... Okay, okay, I get it, I'm sorry. Please don't flick me on the forehead anymore. I appreciate you holding back on me but it still hurts when you do it...

Alright then, you win. I'll try not to talk about my honeypie anymore.

Hm, but for you to still be here and to go that far in just asking me to stop talking about Celty... Does that mean there's something that you do want to discuss with me in particular?

It's something to do with Orihara-kun, I take it?

If I have to venture a guess, you're curious about his Shadow, but you're not sure if it's okay for you to be asking that since you're not all that close to him – Is that right?

...Eh? What do you mean I'm being creepy? No, I'm not some kind of shady fortune-teller or mind reader. I'm surprised you think of me that way. Now I'm not sure if you're trying to compliment me or dismissing my observation skills by calling me that.

But whatever it is, it doesn't matter as long as Celty still loves me for whoever I am~

Oh, right. I promised not to talk about my darling, didn't I?

So let's get right to the topic, then. What about Orihara-kun's Shadow that you'd like to know more about?

...Huh? "Is it really okay to be talking about this when the flea's in a nearby room"?

Of course it's fine. If he wants to listen in and eavesdrop on how I'm going to spill all his secrets and embarrass him in front of you, it's fine as well. Besides, he owes me for what I've done for him for the past two weeks; I'm sure he can't object to my sharing of what happened with his Shadow, in that case.

So don't worry about it, Shizuo-kun. You can ask about anything, I'll try my best to answer.

...Okay... You're wondering about the split aspects of his psyche, right? Specifically, with regards to Psyche-kun, Hibiya-kun, Hachimenroppi-kun and Sakuraya-san? Is it because you're curious about whether that has any relation to what happened to your own Shadow?

Or is it because you want to know if what Hibiya-kun said to you is true?

Ahaha I was just kidding, don't give me that look, please.

Well, that's actually one of the many things we discussed earlier as a group. I mean, together with Souji-kun and his friends. We've looked into it a bit, but we haven't found a reasonably sound and valid explanation for it just yet. The current hypothesis is that Orihara-kun's denial of his Shadow, coupled with Anonymous-san's interference, majorly tipped the balance in his psyche and therefore caused it to fragment. I'm not an expert in this field, so, I can't give a professional opinion on whether it's psychologically valid. But if we understand it as a flow or cycle of mental energy whose balance has been disrupted, and this disruption being compounded by the interference of an external party, then it doesn't seem all that farfetched now, does it?

Take for an example... The homeostasis process in the human body.

I'm sure you remember the gist of it from Biology class.

Well, the details aren't necessary for the analogy I'm making, so it's okay if you've forgotten how it goes exactly.

But basically, it's the way the human body works to maintain balance in its functions. For instance, when one's body temperature rises, like during physical activity, the body works to reduce it through various mechanisms such as perspiration. In essence, the body brings about appropriate changes to counter the changes imposed on it and thus return things to normal. Pretty interesting, isn't it? In a sense, it's in human nature to resist changes by changing itself, won't you agree?

So, what happens if those changes are too extreme for the body to handle?

It's simple. The body becomes imbalanced.

Think of your homeostasis as a cycle: one thing leading to another that goes back to the starting point. If something interferes with one of the steps, the cycle either continues circulating or falls out of its natural order, unable to fully return to its starting point.

When things get too hot, the body can't cool itself down. When things are too cold, the body can't warm itself up sufficiently. It still attempts to bring things under control, but that's all it can do; it's not a miracle mechanism that can adapt to everything that comes its way.

And that's what happened to Izaya. The natural flow of the energy that keeps his psyche in balance was interfered with. It's the homeostasis of the psyche: when a disturbance is detected, the psyche attempts to bring it back in balance by countering it. That's why Personas and Shadows exist. They're the counterbalance to one another.

So in Orihara-kun's case, or more precisely in anybody's case, the denial of his Shadow threw that balance off. Add Anonymous-san into the picture, and you get an even more disturbed flow. In fact it's most likely because of Anonymous-san's involvement that Izaya's Shadow fragmented the way it did.

...Hmm? Ahh, that's right. That didn't happen for you, so you're probably wondering why your Shadow behaved in the same way.

To be honest it's hard to say. We're thinking it might have something to do with Saika, since it's probably of a similar nature to our Anonymous-san. Celty told me how you fought off a whole crowd of those Saika children a few years ago. You got cut a few times, didn't you? But didn't you wonder why nothing happened to you even though you got cut?

We're thinking it might be because you already awakened your Persona ability at that time, Shizuo-kun. That's why you weren't turned into a Saika child.

But. The repeated cuttings probably did something to your psyche without anybody realising it. That might be why your Shadow fragmented like how Orihara-kun's did. It's a weak theory at best, though.

...Huh? ...Ahh, right right. You didn't realise it, right? About your Persona ability.

Come to think of it, Anonymous-san mentioned that that was the reason it involved you in all of this, didn't he? It sounds like Anonymous-san knew from the very beginning that your Persona had already awakened to a certain degree. The question then, is when? And what brought it on? It could've been some time before that Ripper Night or it could've been right when you started to...

...Eh?! You know when it happened?!

...Huh? You think it was when you used your strength for the first time? When you got angry with Kasuka-kun over that pudding? Shizuo-kun, do you mean to say that that strength of yours is actually your Persona?

Well, no, it's not that it's impossible, but if that's really the case, then why would your Persona manifest itself in that manner instead of how it did for Souji-kun and the others? Also, if we assume it to be true, then that must also mean that the time-space distortion had already happened at that time, right? Otherwise it wouldn't have been possible for your Persona to manifest in the real world.

...Oh? That's not what you meant?

...Ahh, so the incident happened not long after you played a game...called "The Persona Game"…so there's a chance that game might have done something that allowed your Persona to manifest?

Hmm... I see. So you mean to say that it was that incident, when you used your strength for the first time, that ignited your Persona-Shadow mental energy cycle...and the game was just a coincidental memory that Anonymous-san reminded you of to make you think that it was the game's fault for giving you your strength. Because all along, you wanted to push the blame of your power to an external factor as that would be the only way to make sense of why you have that power in the first place.

Well then, that means that your Persona is quite intimately linked to your strength, doesn't it? In a sense, it's because of the fact that you have a body unlike that of a normal human that you have your Persona at all. Or at least, the kind of Persona you have now.

All that aside, though...

If your conjecture is correct, then that means any semblance of your Persona's awakening had taken place that many years ago, and it probably didn't take a distinct form until at least the Saika incident. Since that was when you finally started coming to terms with yourself, right?

Interesting, interesting.

But then now the question is... Why didn't Anonymous-san take action earlier? Could it be because it wanted to wait until your Persona grew and developed further...or is it because it couldn't even if it had wanted to, all this time? Frankly, I'm leaning towards the latter, given what I've seen of and heard from Anonymous-san, but it's hard to say for sure, you know? There's also Orihara-kun to consider...ah and Yagiri Seiji-kun too, of course. And also Harima Mika-chan... Our dear Anonymous-san's plan involves this many people, so it's not really my place to confirm or affirm anything.

Other than the fact that my love for Celty remains just as firm as it has always been, despite all that's happening.

...Okay okay, I won't get into that again, so don't look at me like that, please.

So anyway – we're supposed to be talking about Orihara-kun's Shadow, aren't we?

Well. We've gone in a roundabout way but I'm just going to say it straight and honestly with you, Shizuo-kun.

This is just my opinion, but I do think what Hibiya-kun said to you was true. In the sense that it did reflect Orihara-kun's impression of you, but not in its entirety.

At the end of the day, Hibiya-kun is still one of those fragments of Orihara-kun's psyche. The balance might be messed up, and Anonymous-san's interference might have complicated things, and your own Shadow was caught in the mess and contributed in some way to the snowy, forested area in the TV world—

—but Hibiya-kun is still a part of Orihara-kun, at the end of it all.

You might say that Orihara-kun is a pathological liar right to his bones, so his Shadow fragments split off from him might just be the same.

But herein lies the thing about Shadows: they exist because there's something their host is denying, and they're driven solely by their nature, that is to reveal and make known that which is being denied to the world. After all, isn't that why they're able to manifest in a physical form at all? Being physical means being seen, and being able to make some sort of impact and be seen _clearly_ for it. Of course, this is just my take on things; I'm not an expert in this field.

So in other words, Shizuo-kun, Hibiya-kun was simply revealing to you what Orihara-kun himself didn't want to believe to be true but couldn't help thinking anyway.

So if Hibiya-kun said Orihara-kun thought of you as human – then Orihara-kun did, at some point or perhaps even as we speak, think of you as human.

...You're happy to hear that, right?

Considering how much Orihara-kun loves humans, it must feel amazingly validating and relieving to know that he thinks of you as human.

...But in spite of that, you're still a bit uneasy, aren't you? Shizuo-kun.

Not just because of your own insecurities, but also because you know, having gone through part of Izaya's mindscape, that his love for humans by itself is questionable. Or rather, the motives and the seemingly insincerity behind it are.

Not only that, but Izaya's own definition of what it means to be human is another matter up in the air for debate.

So all in all, even though Hibiya-kun said something like that, you still can't be certain if what it means for you is the same as what it means for Orihara-kun himself.

But you know what, Shizuo-kun?

Does it really matter?

Whether by Izaya's standards or my standards or even by the world's standards—

What's still most important is whether you consider yourself to be human by your own standards, isn't it?

Unless your own standards coincide with that of any other external party, that is.

But even if that's the case, I honestly think you have nothing much to worry about.

Just ask anyone who is relatively close to you, or at least knows you personally. Myself included.

That body of yours is certainly not normal, but everything else about you?

It's normal. It's human. It's as simple as that.

I mean, you have a Persona, don't you? Isn't that already proof enough?

So you can rest easy, Shizuo-kun. There's no doubt who, or what, you are, even if you don't think of yourself in that way at this moment. Even if someone who loves humans as much as Izaya weighs his opinion on the matter.

But if you ask me, you don't have to worry about the latter either.

Because Orihara Izaya – most assuredly does think of you as human. Shady definitions and motives aside, of course.

I mean, the fact that he tries so hard to deny that already betrays his true opinion of you, the way I see it. The harder he tries to deny it, and the more he insists on claiming you as non-human, that must mean you're all the more human in his eyes.

...Hm? "Is it _really_ okay to be saying that when he could be listening in to you spilling all his secrets as if you're his Shadow or something?"

It's fine, Shizuo-kun. I said it earlier, right? Orihara-kun owes me, so this is how I'm going to payback for that.

Besides, haven't you already heard—

–oh wait.

...Ahh I completely forgot! You weren't there when Yosuke-kun, Yukiko-chan and Naoto-chan were fighting Orihara-kun's Shadow.

Hmm... In that case, I shouldn't say any further.

...Hey hey, don't look at me like that.

Yes, I admit, all this while I've been shamelessly hanging Izaya's dirty linen out in public but that's because I'd mistakenly thought you already know about all the embarrassing details about Orihara-kun's Shadow. So I thought, what's the big deal about saying a little more and giving my own opinion here and there? But now I remember – you weren't there during the fight. That makes things a little bit unfair.

...No? I don't mean it's unfair to Izaya at all. Though you're not entirely off the mark.

In the first place don't you think the entire situation has been completely in Izaya's disfavour? The one who found Seiji-kun's body first was Orihara-kun, the one who had been targeted in the first place was Orihara-kun, the one who got thrown into the TV – though he was asking for it, really – was Orihara-kun, the one who had Apathy Syndrome was Orihara-kun, the one who very nearly died was Orihara-kun, and the one who had most of their secrets revealed in just a matter of days was Orihara-kun as well...

Considering all of that, wouldn't you agree that Orihara-kun is actually, for the very first time in history, as unbelievable as it sounds, a victim in this case?

In other words, even if I were to stand in as his Shadow substitute and tell you even more embarrassing secrets, that wouldn't change his position in these...circumstances, for lack of a better word, much, if at all.

No, I mean – it's unfair to you, Shizuo-kun.

When I think about it, this entire incident has been nothing but unfair to you. Even more so than to Orihara-kun himself, if you ask me.

Because Orihara-kun had been Anonymous-san's target from the start.

But you, Shizuo-kun, Anonymous-san only implicated just because you happened to have some Persona ability of your own.

You got entangled in this because you chased Izaya that day. You had to live with the thought and belief that somebody was out for your life for reasons nobody knew. And then you had to experience something horrible at the hands of Anonymous-san himself—

—and you also had to face your own Shadow as a result.

It's ironic, however I look at it. We all thought we were going in to save Orihara-kun, but in the end Souji-kun and the others had to save you two from yourselves. And because of that, you didn't get to hear Izaya’s true feelings, exaggerations and all.

Whereas most of us got to hear it. Even Souji-kun and the others who fought your Shadow – at the very least they managed to get through the fortress that Izaya created. The only other person I can think of who is in a similar situation as yours is my darling herself... Oh, and Anri-chan too.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, it isn't fair to you that you didn't get to hear it from Orihara-kun's Shadow personally, so me being the middleman in this kind of situation would make it even more unfair.

Especially since Izaya is kind of in a similar boat as you.

I mean, think about it. You didn't get to hear all there was to hear from Orihara-kun's Shadow, while Izaya knows close to nothing about yours. Absolutely nothing if he hasn't already been listening in on this conversation from the beginning. You actually have a bit of edge over him in that regard.

So if I were to tell you everything else his Shadow said, I'd be tipping the balance even further in your favour. Rather than it being even more unfair to Izaya, I'd say it's just as equally unfair to you, being given an advantage like that especially when Orihara-kun is clearly the primary victim of this case, if we're not considering Seiji-kun. By the look on your face, you seem to understand what I mean and agree with me too, so let's leave it at that, yes?

...Hm? There's another reason why you're glad I didn't spill the beans? Is it alright if I ask...

...Ahh, okay. It's a secret, huh? One that you'd rather not say at this moment?

Or, perhaps, it's something you want to say to Izaya directly and personally instead of letting him overhear it?

Ahaha, what can I say? I'm a professional mind reader. Gets to my precious darling every time.

...Mm? You've been wondering about something, you say?

...How did we become so close that we can have communication like that? Between me and Celty?

Well, I'm a little bit surprised. I thought you didn't want me to talk about Celty, Shizuo-kun?

...Huh? There's someone you've been wanting to speak to and get to know more about, and you've only just remembered about that person recently...?

In that case, I'm even more surprised. You're actually consulting me for advice on this on your own accord. Are you sure you're feeling alright, Shizuo-kun? You're not in a state of mental exhaustion to the point of confusion from the TV world and facing your Shadow?

No? You're sure?

...Hmm, alright then. I'm guessing it has something to do with your Shadow, so I won't probe much further.

Except... How long have you left this matter alone and forgotten, if I may ask?

...Eh?! You think it might be at least fifteen years?!

That's no good, Shizuo-kun. If it's been that long, how can you be sure you still want to know that person better? They could have changed drastically and your first impression of them may no longer apply, you know? Or for all you know, they may have already departed from this world... Not that I mean to curse them if they're still alive. Can you even be sure of where to find them, and how they even look like now?

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I just felt like I should lay all that out for you and help you be more aware of what you want to deal with, Shizuo-kun. You've thought it through, it seems, so I guess I was a bit hasty in my response.

...But I guess that also means this person is that important to you, huh?

Ten to fifteen years... Could it be...?

...That lady who treated you to milk everytime you saw her when you were still in elementary school?

Ahaha, what's with that look you're giving me? Did I hit the nail on the head?

Oh right, I promised not to probe further.

Okay then, you don't have to tell me if I'm right or not. But she does seem to be the only one who fits what you just told me. Especially since you're asking me for advice.

..."Why 'especially'? What does guessing who it is have anything to do with me asking you?"

Well I mean... You're asking for advice on how to communicate with a possible childhood love interest, aren't you?

After all, you're asking specific advice from me, concerning how Celty and I communicate with each other and how our relationship plays a role in that and vice versa – in other words you're asking for specific love advice from somebody who is currently dating. Second, the time gap means you most likely met her when you were still in elementary school, which was the time you met that shop lady who gave you milk. And if I recall correctly, you were rather fond of her, weren't you, Shizuo-kun? Though things didn't go so well because you turned her shop upside-down when you were trying to help her out...which is another clue since you asking me for advice likely has something to do with your Shadow, which is most likely related to your paranormal strength.

So yup! All in all, it's a pretty intelligent guess, right? Even Orihara-kun thinks I ought to be a detective, though I don't particularly want to put much stock in that guy's words...

...Why are you looking at me like that? Did I get it wrong?

Huh, I'm free to think whoever I want? Well, alright then, if you say so.

Wait—

—You're not denying about the love interest claim?!

So— Eh— Wait—

Shizuo-kun are you seriously asking for advice on how to confess your love?!

Wow I can't believe it! Ah not about you falling in love but more of your decision to confide in me with a matter like this...! To be admired by a friend in this aspect makes me glad! Proud, even!

Because it means Celty and I are a model couple!

Of course I had no doubt in my mind that we are so. Not a shred of a doubt that Celty and I are made for each other...!

That's right, since the very first day I landed my eyes on her...

I knew in my heart right away that she was the one.

And over the years as I grew up while living together with her, I never gave up. I confessed and proclaimed my love whenever I had the opportunity to, regardless of how her replies were. I loved her – and I still do – for well over twenty years, and not once did I ever stop loving her, not once did I ever think about putting an end to unrequited confessions.

So I suppose if you want to get a good and memorable start to your budding romantic relationship, take a leaf from my book and—

—Huh? Wait— Shizuo-kun?

Why are you getting up from your seat and walking away without a single word?

Where are you going? Shizuo-kun?

Huh? You're leaving already? Wait wait wait, why? I still haven't shared my secret techniques with you yet!

Waiiiit Shizuo-ku—

_Thud_

……

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait (and short chapter...) I was busy with exams, and had lots of things to do even after exams were over, so I didn't have much time to work on my writing... And I'm really sorry if this chapter felt like filler to you, since there wasn't anything going on orz But I felt that the little bit of exposition was necessary, at this point. I initially planned to skip this entirely, but after working on the later scenes I realised that Shinra and Shizuo's conversation was actually more important than even I thought it to be, as it puts in perspective the rather complicated role Shizuo plays in the antagonist's "game" (when taking into account what has been discussed amongst the IT and Celty in the previous chapter), as well as Shinra's (mis)understanding, and also reinforces the concept of Personas and Shadows and mentions of a "Persona Game" again, among other things, so I decided to write the details out as an interlude. It might seem insignificant plot-wise - even I thought so too! - but in hindsight this conversation, like the previous discussion chapters, is crucial for understanding what's about to come in the later parts of the arc. It's a lot of dialogue and exposition, but that will soon come to an end in the next chapter. After that the plot will move (quickly, I hope), I promise.
> 
> (Now I'll also give a vague, but very important, hint: the first arc is titled the New Days Arc, the second is Hohoemi no Kage. And this third, final arc is titled the Golden Week Arc. I think the name itself is already quite telling of how this arc will go, or at least the timeline of it.)
> 
> Thank you for all your support! I really appreciate it! :)


	45. Walk on the Diagonal III

**April 28, 2013**

**Along the road, towards the Kawagoe Highway**

_'...Whew... That was a pretty long afternoon... But it was definitely well-spent.'_

Celty thought to herself, as she rode along the empty road on Shooter's back, who was currently in its usual motorbike form. It had been quite the eventful day, but at the moment, after saying her goodbyes to the Investigation Team and departing from Russia Sushi, Celty was thankful that she hadn't run into the traffic police since then, and that she could at least ride all the way home in peace today.

Shooter, who seemed to share her thoughts and sentiment, let out a pleased sound that was a mix of a trill and a neigh. Celty's shoulders shook slightly in silent laughter, before she eased and settled into her thoughts about more pressing matters.

_'Well then, let's see... I should be thinking about what to say to Shinra and Izaya when I see them later, shouldn't I?'_

She started slowing down a little.

_'Hmm... Knowing Shinra, he probably already has an idea of what I'm hiding from him, so even if I don't really want to say it out directly, he understands, so... Izaya may actually be the more problematic one here.'_

Celty resisted the urge to shake her "head".

 _'As usual,'_ she added as an afterthought.

As she cruised along the road, the air currents brushed against her entire frame, but she paid little attention to it. Dangling from one of the handles, the bag containing two sushi bento boxes swayed along with the motion.

_'I know I promised Souji-kun and his friends that I would deal with this myself, but... To be honest, I really don't want to talk about something like this with that infuriating guy. He might deflect it and claim to not remember anything about that other realm, and I wouldn't know if he's being genuine about that... In the possible case he is, then wouldn't it sound like I...did something to his memory...?'_

When the possibility flashed through her mind, Celty almost hung her "head" low before remembering that she was currently on the road – albeit a rather sparse one – and looked up, keeping her gaze to what was in front of her. Her mind, however, could not stop itself from repeating that last thought, over and over, accompanied by a mental imagery of herself typing away in front of the Investigation Team back at Russia Sushi, like a voice recording being played over a silent video clip.

Her fingers curled tighter around the handles of Shooter's motorbike form.

 _'It's not...entirely impossible, for me to have done that,'_ she ruminated. _'After all, knowing who...what...I really am now, I might really have done that to Izaya without meaning to. I might...have really...'_

The Dullahan couldn't finish that sentence.

There was a certain tightness abounding in her chest, rising up to her throat, like an invisible rope wrapped around her neck with its other end tied to an imaginary stainless, metallic weight that even she could not lift in reality; and her stomach churned and twisted in a knot, even though she knew very well that it could not have possibly been functioning.

If that was how being choked or strangled felt like, Celty made a note to herself to strike that option off her list of threats she had considered pulling off on Izaya. Not that she wanted to stoop to that level in the first place just for getting honest answers out of him, but she thought she ought to be a little more forceful as a precaution nonetheless.

 _'...Well... There's always punching him,'_ she considered.

Shooter chose that moment to purr comfortingly. Celty tipped her neck down a little and sent a mental word of gratitude towards it, quickly lifting her hand from the handle and giving it two pats.

 _'...No use thinking about it like this,'_ she decided, the grappling sensation melting away. _'It'll be fine. Like Teddie-kun, I have people who are there to support me. And if there's anything I've learnt from those kids the past few weeks...'_

Celty's grip on Shooter's handles tightened as she sped up, dashing forward towards the direction of the apartment she had called her and Shinra's home.

_'It's that I...don't have to deal with my problems alone.'_

***

**At an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

"So. What exactly have you been up to with my phone, Orihara-kun, for the entire time I've been speaking with Shizuo-kun? I hope you haven't been using it for your shady business dealings."

Izaya didn't turn to face him, but Shinra could imagine – and feel, even – the sly smirk on the informant's face.

"Funny you would say that, Underground Doctor-san. After all, hasn't this phone already been used for such purposes since the day you bought it?"

"I have a separate private line for that. You know that, don't pretend you don't. You've contacted me on that number before."

"Oopsie, you've caught me, then. Not that I was planning on denying it, anyway."

"Izaya..." Shinra let the name slip, muttered with a warning tone.

With a chuckle Izaya raised said device up and nonchalantly tossed it back to its rightful owner. Shinra caught it in a fumble, unable to contain a surprised yelp while doing so, before turning to his current patient with both hands against his waist.

By that point the informant couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"Goodness, you sure do seem angry! What, did that beast's horrible temper rub off on you? Or are you picking that attitude up from my dear secretary? Hm or maybe it's from living with Celty, who hates my guts."

"Neither. It's all me." Shinra huffed. With his eyes fixed on the screen as he checked for missed calls or messages, as well as making sure there wasn't anything strange done to his phone, he continued, "Honestly Izaya, I normally don't care about what you do on a regular basis, but I've been waiting for Celty's reply all day and then you go and take my phone away. Of course I'm mad."

"Well then, since you already knew I took your phone, why didn't you come and claim it back earlier? Why did you wait until Shizu-chan left? I'm not exactly fond of admitting it, but in my current situation I wouldn't have been able to fight back if you asked Shizu-chan to take your phone back by force. In other words you could've gotten it back much earlier. But you didn't," Izaya challenged, his smile broadened and his eyes glinting like an owl's at night when it caught sight of its prey.

Shinra, however, knew better than to fall for that. "Is that what you stole my phone for? To see what I would do?"

Izaya shrugged. "Partly that, and partly because I was bored and needed something to kill time with."

"Mm-hm, and partly because you also needed it to find out all the details of anything that's happened while you were away, right? You're curious if your absence has left any sort of impact on the city, aren't you?" Shinra replied, raising the pitch of his voice to sound pleasant and cheery.

"Of course," Izaya chirped. "I had to know if my humans took any action that I missed while I was gone. I was away for two weeks, after all. There's a lot of interesting things that might've happened in that amount of time."

"That's not what I meant, and I think you're deliberately dodging it, so I won't say any more. But," Shinra added, placing extra emphasis on the word, "if I find out that you've done something stupid, even by your standards, I won't let it slide so easily. I need to exercise my rightful role as your friend, after all. If I know you're up to something that's going to endanger your life and not do anything about it, everyone's gonna be mad at me, especially my darling who's expecting that much of me."

"Yes yes, you go do that," Izaya replied flippantly, waving it off like he was swatting a fly, but doing it with such grace and style that could only be distinct to him. "However, if that's the case, then I should probably ask you to clarify what you would consider to be stupid, shouldn't I? To avoid that kind of situation, I mean."

"Ahaha, you hate my nagging that much? Well, even if you do, I'll just keep pestering you until you admit defeat – but, then again, between the two of us I might be the first to give up," Shinra said with a bright, sunny smile.

The corners of Izaya's lips curled further. "I don't know about that. You're persistent enough to spare no efforts in courting a Dullahan for twenty years. Though that's a display of your strength and determination as a human, so it might not be a bad idea to test it out."

Realising that he might've had just created unnecessary trouble for himself, Shinra tried to divert Izaya's attention. "...Back to the topic, though, I already answered your question earlier. Do you really need me to repeat and lay it out so bluntly?"

"Yes, because I don't see the difference between what I'm already doing on a regular basis and what you've just described," the informant answered candidly, the cheek and serious jest – oxymoron it was, but with Izaya somehow contrasting statements like that melded together perfectly – evident in his crystal clear voice.

However Shinra momentarily could not think of a reply that was both appropriate in its tone as well as its content. He had known Izaya was fully aware of his own actions and the possible consequences that could follow, and that Izaya had in no way misunderstood or failed to capture the meaning behind Shinra's earlier warnings. He knew that even with a warning coming personally from him, Izaya, the daredevil he was, would still not heed it if it hindered his plans. Yet, if the right conditions were met, Izaya might actually listen for once and hold himself back – or, more precisely, deliberately give himself that sort of handicap if he felt that it might lead to a more interesting outcome.

The current situation did not seem to be leaning towards the latter in the least.

So Shinra, considering all of that, gave a thoughtful hum and then responded, "Well. At least you admit that what you've been doing, and what you intend to do from now on, is actually pretty idiotic."

"I was only intending to humour you by playing along. But in all seriousness, Shinra, is it really that thoughtless of a thing to do? If you regard the act of putting oneself's own life on the line for an actual purpose as stupid, then Souji-kun's cute little Investigation Team is made up of a bunch of idiots. Now, is that something you would say straight in their faces?"

"Don't try to distract me with an argument like that, Izaya. Souji-kun and his team are fighting and risking their lives for a noble purpose. You, on the other hand, would do it only in your own interests, _and_ only if you're certain you have a chance of living at the end."

"Then that doesn't make it mindless anymore."

"It is when you run straight into danger and expect to come out safe every single—"

The sound of the front gates opening and closing and the living room door being slammed open interrupted the exchange between the two men. Of the two, Shinra was the quickest in switching his tone and facial expression as he twirled and gazed in the direction of the living room with widened eyes that were twinkling with anticipation and euphoria as the shadowy figure strode across the room in a swift march.

"Ahhhh, Celty~ My precious darling, you've retur—guh?!"

Shinra choked when his beloved brushed off his embracing gesture and shoved him aside. Then, before either man present in the room could react,  the Dullahan raised her hand up high before bringing it down in a flash to strike Izaya right across his cheek.

For what felt like an eternity, Shinra could only stare wide-eyed with a slightly gaping mouth as Izaya blinked slowly, a rare stunned expression evident in his features before it vanished, replaced by a smirk as he faced Celty directly.

"My, Courier, you sure do hit hard," he chuckled, giving his now reddened cheek a light rub as if to prove his point.

The Dullahan tapped quickly on the screen of her PDA.

[You're lucky I only gave you a slap. I was trying to decide between punching or strangling you on the way here.]

"Well then, I suppose I should be considering myself rather fortunate in that regard."

[...As expected, you're not even questioning why I did that. Since there's no doubt what I would slap you for.]

"Admittedly I can think of many possible things that you would slap me for, so you're not entirely wrong. So what would it be? My earlier attempt at stirring up some discord between my adorable kouhai from Raira? All those times I tried to frame Shizu-chan or land him in trouble? Making you run those 'delivery errands' for me? Take your pick."

[Ugh, you're so—!] Celty cut herself off, rapidly shaking her "head" as she erased the message and continued to type, literally fuming as tendrils of smoke started to leak out from the gaps between her neck and her helmet. [I want to at least give you another chance and to try and look at you in a different, more positive light but you're making it impossible for me to do so!]

"Oh? Now that's something interesting you just said. Haven't you always disliked me?"

[...I promised them I'd try.] Celty replied. [But the details aren't for you to know right now. Not until I have a...talk with Shinra, first.]

"Hmm...?" the informant could only hum while the Headless Rider immediately turned and grabbed Shinra by the wrist, surprising the underground doctor out of his stupor.

"Eh? Wait, Celty? Why did you just slap Orihara-kun like that? No wait, why is that the first thing you did once coming home?"

[We need to talk.]

"Huh? Oh, sure! Shall we do it while snuggled up together in bed—gwuh! P-point taken... L-living room then..."

[No. Not the living room.]

"H-huh...?" Shinra gasped, rubbing his stomach.

The Dullahan gave a split-second glance at the informant lying in bed before typing.

[It's better if we head to the study instead.]

***

**At the same time, somewhere in Sunshine City**

The first thing that went through his mind, as well as everyone else's he was sure, was that the room – Souji called it that; the others begged to differ, it looked more like a banquet hall, if he had to be honest – could use something other than blue as part of the palette for its decor.

No, scratch that, it _needed_ something other than blue, because the whole place was practically soaked in it. Even right down to the glowy door that was supposed to be invisible for people like him—

_"Yo-chan can see it too, right?"_

Yosuke fidgeted for the umpteenth time since arriving at the Velvet Room, and was nudged in his side for the umpteenth time after that.

"Stop that already," Chie reprimanded, her voice barely above a harsh whisper while Souji was still exchanging pleasantries and filling in what had been happening with a man with an impossibly long nose and the blonde lady in blue whom he recognised as Margaret. "You've been acting all antsy since we came here, and every time we ask why you just brush it off. I don't know about the rest but it's starting to get on my nerves."

"Well I can't help it, alright? This place is giving me the creeps," Yosuke shot back, trying not to raise his voice lest Souji could hear. He couldn't avoid letting the others, who were silently standing around him, from listening, however.

"How so?" Yukiko asked, her expression and tone in a blend of demure curiosity and blank confusion at the same time. Yosuke was pretty sure he wasn't imagining Satonaka starting to get a little more nervous than she should at that.

"Um, it's... Well, there's a piano playing along with a voice in the background, I guess...?" Yosuke offered.

"You mean the blind guy and the singing lady over there? Didn't Senpai just introduce 'em to us a while ago?" said Kanji, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the aforementioned Velvet Room residents.

"They kinda add to the creepy mood," Yosuke replied, shaking his head. "Look, I'll... I'll explain later."

"That's what you said on the chatroom this morning," Chie pointed out, eyeing the brunet doubtfully.

"Hey, not my fault we reached Shinra-sensei's place earlier than we expected. I was planning on telling you guys from the start, I swear. But I can't really do that right now, since we're all a little _busy_ here."

"Sorry I kept you all waiting," a firm, but quiet, voice cut in. With a mildly apologetic look on his face, Souji continued, taking a few steps closer to his friends, completely oblivious to his interrupting their whispered conversation, "I took longer than I thought I needed, but Igor-san and Margaret-san told me something that I think you all ought to know more about."

With a glance that informed Yosuke that whatever they had been discussing wasn't over yet and then quickly wiping it off Chie, as did everyone else, turned to Souji's direction. "Ah, don't worry about it, Seta-kun," she assured. "So... What's this thing that's so important that all of us has to know?"

Their leader was silent for a moment as he met their eyes, prompting Yosuke to think that perhaps his partner wasn't as ignorant as he initially hoped and was actually waiting for somebody to spill the beans, but his concerns were laid to rest when Souji looked over his shoulder and at the long-nosed man and blonde woman in the middle of the blue banquet hall, before turning back to face them again. A rather grave expression settled on Souji's features, making them coarser and harder than they normally appeared; Yosuke mused how reminiscent it was of Dojima himself when he had his detective game face on, particularly the time his partner's uncle detained him at the station the night that warning letter came to the older man's attention.

Gulping, Yosuke let his arms which were crossed over his chest fall to his sides, and took a step forward. "It's bad news, isn't it?"

Souji's sigh alone was sufficient in confirming his suspicions. "It's not exactly that bad now. But..." A pause. "It could...potentially become a lot worse, very quickly, if we don't do anything about it soon."

Upon noticing the dampened atmosphere and Yosuke's very visible wince, however, the silver-haired adolescent wasted no time in elaborating, "Igor-san and Margaret-san didn't say so, though. I don't think they're allowed to tell me something that directly. Right now I'm just trying to make a best guess, but even still I believe it's something you all should be aware of, too."

"But before I get into that, there's something else you need to know. It's related to what I want to talk about. And... It's the reason I brought you all here in the first place.”

And that was what Souji did, giving a detailed yet brief explanation for what the blue banquet hall was for, the contract he signed with Igor, how it had helped him all these years starting from the time he first moved to Inaba – of special note was how vital it was in helping him defeat Izanami back then – and that even Marie was connected to this place, and more.

He talked about his Wild Card ability, more than when he first introduced it back when the others asked, but when he encroached upon this certain topic he did so with a certain degree of hesitation. It was subtle, even for Souji, but it was as clear as the Velvet Room was blue in Yosuke's eyes, and it wasn't until Souji mentioned the importance of bonds that he understood why his partner never really talked about this at such great lengths before.

So Yosuke saw fit to speak up, acting as the rest of the team's voice, "Don't worry, Partner. We won't get the wrong idea about things like that. I mean, we're friends, right? We've been through so much – you seriously think we can't tell if the friendship we have isn't genuine? Besides, if it wasn't, then your Wild Card wouldn't have been able to develop the way it did, yeah?"

"He's right," Yukiko affirmed. "And don't forget, you've given us so much, too. We've all been able to face our weaknesses and grow because of you. So... Don't go thinking about whether it had been selfish on your part. You have been anything but."

At their words, as well as the warm smiles that everyone else was sporting – proof that they, too, shared the same sentiment – Souji couldn't help but allow himself a small smile.

"Thank you," he said, making sure to look at everybody in the eye at least once. "It means a lot to me."

"Hey, no problem. That's what friends are for," Yosuke replied, throwing his partner a wink, glad to have been able to raise the issue and solve it at the same time just like that. The bright look on his face, however, faded just as quickly. "Oh right sorry, I cut you off, didn't I? Don't, well, don't let what just happened get in the way of that."

"No, it's... Actually, if I'm not wrong, it might be related."

That only served to elicit an even greater degree of attention from the rest of the team. "Is that why you suddenly brought this up, Senpai?" Rise asked.

Souji gave her a clean, curt nod. Then, he stole a glance in Igor and Margaret's direction, before gesturing to the platform they were standing on.

"The Velvet Room I frequented before... It didn't look anything like this."

The Investigation Team members shared similar looks of confusion at the statement, but nobody let out a word until Souji did.

"It used to be the interior of a limousine," he elaborated. Which was an overstatement, Yosuke mused, since Souji's explanations were usually so short and to-the-point yet, strangely, vague all at once. The most glaring exception would have been when he talked about his Wild Card ability earlier, and even that had its cryptic moments. "Apparently, that's not all it's been."

Naoto seemed to have caught his drift. "So it has taken other forms prior to your patronage?" She had phrased it like a question, but her tone indicated otherwise.

"It sounded that way. Igor-san and Margaret-san once told me that the Velvet Room appears differently to different people. Changing to reflect their personalities."

"...But right now, we're all in here, and we're all seeing the same thing. ...Right?" Chie struggled to keep the pitch of her voice from raising as she realised the rather terrifying implications of what their leader just said. "P-please don't tell me that I'm just imagining all those other people here. A-and the voice that's been s-singing all this while."

Yosuke decided to tread the dangerous waters that was better known to him as the risk of getting kicked in the nads by one unnerved Satonaka Chie. "Huh? I don't see or hear anything, Satonaka. You sure it's not just you?"

"I told you not to tell me!" Chie squawked out of reflex, before she caught herself and turned to Yosuke with a sharp heel and an accusing glare. "Wait... You were just trying to scare me, weren't you Hanamura? I thought _you_ were the one who first said that this place creeps you out."

"Oh cra— Uh, uh, I mean, um." A quick glance at his surroundings told Yosuke that nobody intended to save him from this one. In particular Souji even seemed a tad bit amused and curious about Yosuke's impression of the Velvet Room. Some partner. "Uh, whoops?"

Chie responded with a very firm and unhesitant stomp on his foot. Which he would admit that he deserved, since it was undoubtedly the better alternative to the outcome he had been expecting. Still, the sensation – which Yosuke could only describe as feeling like a brick made of tenfold steel had just crushed his toes – was far from pleasant, and he spent the next few minutes with his back hunched over as he grasped his leg, his afflicted foot throbbing along with the pulse of his heart. He could only hope Satonaka didn't break anything for real; the fact that he didn't hear anything crack the moment her foot stepped on his set him at ease in that regard.

"D-don't mind me," Yosuke croaked while attempting to wave it off. "Just...carry on 'splaining."

Souji at least managed to look a little bit guilty when he agreed to do so. "Right. As Satonaka said, all of us here are looking at the same Velvet Room. And according to Igor-san, this is the Velvet Room's true form. It's sparser and a lot simpler in terms of its design compared to what I'm used to seeing...because it's supposed to reflect its role as the guide to the human subconscious."

"But...why would the Velvet Room change?" Yukiko asked. "Is it because there are more of us here, compared to when you're visiting it alone, so it changed to a more general form to reflect that?"

It was the most logical conclusion to arrive at, and Souji admitted so, but eventually he shook his head. "I would've thought the same, Amagi. But just a few weeks ago, I came across the Velvet Room, in Raira University, and it looked just like it does now back then."

"So it's got nothing to do with the number of people visiting, then," Kanji noted.

"It doesn't look that way," Souji concurred. Then, while looking at Teddie, he continued saying, "Even when I happened to find Teddie in the Velvet Room at the same time once, the Velvet Room remained just as I had recognised. That makes it even more unlikely for the form of the Velvet Room to be influenced by the number of people visiting it."

"Wait... You mean that blue room that Teddie said he'd been in that time he went missing...?" Rise trailed off, leaving the answer to the question she had just brought up – an answer that was surely in the minds of everybody by now – hanging.

Teddie looked like he nearly tripped over himself despite not having moved a single step from where he was, his jaw dropping. "So _that's_ what that place was! I thought that was just a funny dream I shared with Sensei!"

"Well... You're not too far off. I subconsciously visit the Velvet Room when I'm asleep, from time to time," Souji admitted.

"Hmm... If Seta-kun and Teddie saw the same thing, plus the Velvet Room changing even when it was just Seta-kun alone, then it does kinda prove that it has nothing to do with the number of people visiting it," Chie spoke. "Huh, but then... Why else would it change?"

"That's the thing I needed you all to know about it." Souji took pause, before continuing, "I have a theory. And though Igor-san and Margaret-san said they can't confirm if I'm right, I can't think of anything else that makes more sense than that. And honestly, I don’t like the sound of it.”

“I think… The Wild Card isn’t as rare as we thought.”

***

**Inside Shinra's study, at an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

"...Hmm... I see. So that's what really happened," Shinra said, sighing to himself as he folded his arms and leaned back into the support of his chair by his desk where his personal laptop used to occupy.

Slowly folding said laptop down and sitting just right in front of him, Celty gave a silent nod, the trail of smoke swimming above her neck faltering slightly as regret and guilt began to pool at her gut, both for being so candid to Shinra about the – rather pathetic, she would say – condition she had found Izaya in at the Sea of Unconscious, and for revealing what she believed her true identity was now to be, shifting this heavy a burden onto him.

Concerning the former matter, there was no doubt that Izaya would be more than displeased if he found out that she saw him like that. Shinra knowing wouldn't rattle him a bit, but for her to have seen him in that state would almost certainly change something about their current relationship. Not that Celty particularly cared, or rather, should have cared; it didn't change her impression of him as one of the worst human beings she had ever come across, but seeing anybody like _that_ would've stirred at least some degree of pity within them, even if it was Izaya. And that was before taking into account whatever she might have accidentally done to his memories. And now that Shinra knew all about that, Celty was certain he would bring this up with the informant, and she didn't quite want to be present for that if she had a say in the matter.

And then, concerning the latter—

Shinra interrupted her train of thoughts with yet another sigh, but when Celty looked up, she could see a warm and contented smile forming on Shinra's face. "So that's what really happened," he repeated, with a gentler tone than before.

Celty could only tilt her "head" to the side and was about to open up the laptop again before she felt herself being pulled into a sudden embrace.

Her fingers moved as quickly as the words flashed in her mind. [Shi-Shi-Shinra what—]

"Thank you, Celty."

_'...Huh?'_

"Thank you, for being so honest with me." Celty felt Shinra's arms tighten around her upper torso. With a chuckle, he continued, "I had a feeling you'd finally decide to confide in me, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. I guess that's another thing I have to thank Souji-kun and his friends for, huh?"

_'...Shinra...'_

"I love you, Celty," he whispered. "No matter who you were, or who you are now, or who you will be in the future, or who you're afraid of becoming – you'll always be the Celty I said those words to."

The shadow bleeding from the Dullahan's severed neck trembled as she brought her arms up and wrapped them around Shinra, returning her beloved's embrace. Then, she rested where her chin would've been on his shoulder, letting her shadows brush against it.

 _'I...don't want to leave,'_ said Celty's mind. _'I want to be like this... I want this moment to last forever.'_

"I know," Shinra replied, bringing Celty even closer to him, until she could feel the thumping of his heart as if it were her own. "So do I."

_'But if I stay...'_

"You will," he corrected.

Celty froze for a moment before her fingers curled into fists as she tried to melt away from Shinra's hold. _'I can't,'_ she said. _'It... She...won't let me.'_

Shinra laughed weakly at that, in spite of the atmosphere surrounding the situation. "I was afraid you'd say that," he admitted. "It's one thing to have suspected that possibility. ...It's another to hear it from you personally."

_'...Shinra...'_

"That's why, all the more..." Celty felt Shinra's fingers digging into her makeshift clothes created from the shadows she was able to manipulate as simple and naturally as breathing was for humans, and was reminded once again of the harsh reality of her true heritage. "All the more... I don't want to let you go."

 _'...! Don't be ridiculous!'_ Celty protested mentally, trying again to break free from her beloved's embrace. _'Do you know what's at stake if I continue staying here? Are you going to pretend that this won't change things? We can't be selfish and just concern ourselves with our relationship, Shinra. Teddie-kun's fears... They might actually come true!'_

"But look at where Teddie-kun is now!" Shinra responded, the anxiety and worry that he had once harboured in his heart and was being reawakened gushing into his voice, along with an array of hope, desire, and – most importantly – love. "Didn't he believe the same of himself once? That's why he left, didn't he? But his friends managed to bring him back, and his fears never became reality, right?"

_'I'm not like Teddie-kun, Shinra...! It might've been okay for him, but not for me!'_

"We won't know unless we try," Shinra said firmly.

_'...Will you still be saying that if I reconnect with my head and look at you and not know who you are anymore?'_

"Haha. You're actually going to ask me that when you already know the answer?"

The next moment they shared together was spent in silence from both parties, until Celty broke it as her shoulders shook while she finally leaned forward. _'You really are an idiot,'_ she said. _'Aren't you scared? I might forget about you. I might forget about everyone I met and everything I did here. Everything my current self treasures... I might forget it all, and even destroy it. Even then... You'll still try to get me to stay?'_

The only answer to the Dullahan’s question was her beloved's warm smile.

And that was all the answer she needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I am so sorry for not updating in so long. I hit a terrible writer's block - much worse than the one I usually have - and just...couldn't gather the motivation to write. I'm slowly trying to pick up the pace, but I can't promise my usual monthly updates at the moment. I'll try my best, however. And do rest assured - even if it may take months or years for me to update, I won't abandon this fic. I do have a spinoff/sequel planned that I'm really keen on working on, after all!
> 
> So... About this chapter. Not much going on - the Walk on the Diagonal chapters are meant to be exposition and setting up - but next chapter onwards we'll be getting to the meat of this arc. The main big hints revealed in this chapter would be that there's another Wild Card user and a bit more detail into what happened with Celty and Izaya in the Sea of Unconsciousness, as well as Celty's true identity aside from being a Dullahan. Have fun guessing who's the other Wild Card in this story! ;)
> 
> And lastly, thank you all so much for your support for this fic. I'm sorry it's taken so long. I'm still working on that writer's block by working on another fic first *hint hint* and I think it's making progress, so hopefully I can get back into the general rhythm and habit of writing again.


	46. Urban Unease I

**April 29, 2013**

**At the East Entrance of the JR Ikebukuro Station**

"Well... This is it."

The words that left Yosuke's lips broke the silence that had descended upon the group since taking a step out of Souji's apartment.

Lined up at the side of the entrance so as to no block the way of other commuters was the group consisting of Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, and Teddie, along with their bags of belongings that they had taken with them to Ikebukuro. The girls had been the first to arrive, which had been of little surprise to the boys, but what did take them aback was the fact that both Rise and Naoto were nowhere to be seen. It wasn't like it was part of some holy tradition that every member from the Investigation Team ought to be present to send off at least one of their own – if that had been the case then nobody could really leave at all – but considering the number of people who were taking their leave for one reason or another, it would've made sense for everyone to be present. Or at least, it did in Yosuke's eyes.

As if sensing the question that was in all the guys' heads, Yukiko offered to explain the absences of the other two girls.

"Rise-chan's down at the police station. The police wanted to meet with her regarding the incident yesterday, and her manager dropped by to accompany her to the station, so she couldn't outright say no to him," she said with a slight wince. "And Naoto-kun got a call about there being a new case that needed her immediate attention, so she can't be here either."

"Man, we’re all so busy,” Chie answered, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, I mean, I just gotta catch up with what I missed, but I know the inn must be kinda dying around this time without Yukiko to help tide things over.”

At the mention of her name and the situation that the Amagi Inn was most likely facing, Yukiko made an apologetic look.

"Ugh, don’t remind me,” Kanji mumbled. “I gotta catch up on school stuff _and_ help Ma with the shop. Not that I mind, ‘course, just… Busy. Yeah.”

"And don't you go thinking Junes is having it easy, dude," Yosuke pointed out, bopping on Teddie's head. "You have a loooong line of customers and neverending preps for the promotion items waiting for you back at home. Dad's expecting you to be handling _my_ job this year too, on top of your mascot duties."

"Aww..." Teddie groaned as he rubbed the offended part of his head with a pout, shoulders slumping.

"I'm sure Rise-chan and Naoto-kun really wanted to come too, Teddie-kun," Yukiko offered her encouragement. "But it can't be helped this time, with so much work cropping up for all of us. It _is_ the Golden Week period, after all…though for Rise-chan and Naoto-kun theirs is just because of recent circumstances."

"...Golden Week, huh?"

Yosuke let out a quiet sigh as he folded his arms, tilting his head towards the sky with a pensive expression coating his face.

"It's weird. I keep thinking about it as a holiday, but now that we're actually saying it out loud... It kinda feels more like a deadline, now."

"I know what you mean," Souji agreed, which, considering it was Souji who was saying it, most likely meant it was prudent to keep the matter in mind – because it could mean bad, _bad_ news if they didn't. "It might only be just a coincidence, but... I can't help thinking that it can’t simply be a coincidence, between what happened here and in Inaba during last year's Golden Week, after considering what's happening now. Especially with the Velvet Room becoming visible to all of you."

Yosuke stiffened a little at that, the memory of the conversation the team had yesterday after Souji had brought them to the room that was filled to the brim with blue being brought to the surface of his mind again. He had come clean with the rest of the team about hearing voices way back when he had handed Souji that black fountain pen – which he, and everyone else by extension, now knew had belonged to the old lady who passed away a few weeks back – as well as being able to see the Velvet Room back in the TV world, and how Psyche had reacted to that. To his and Souji’s utter surprise, the rest of the team had admitted that they, too, were able to see the blue door, though it had been so faint that they had all thought it was simply their eyes playing tricks on them.

_“…It might be because there could be another Wild Card around here.”_

Souji seemed to be even more firm in that theory after Yosuke and the rest of the team told him about the Velvet Room sightings. However, he could offer no possible explanation for why Yosuke had heard those voices.

_“It might be related to what we’re dealing with. Or it might not.” Souji shrugged, his face the epitome of the word ‘stoic’. “I can ask Igor-san or Margaret-san about it, though…”_

_“Nah, it’s fine,” Yosuke said, waving it off. “Maybe I was just…tired. Or, something.”_

_“Are you sure?”_

_“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure. Don’t worry about it, partner,” Yosuke insisted, giving Souji one of his trademark winks._

_Souji could only stare at him silently in return, before relenting._

"Mm-hm. I can't shake the feeling off, either," Yukiko concurred, snapping Yosuke out of the flashback. "We'll just have to be careful and be on the lookout, wherever we are."

"And keep each other updated on the group chat," Chie added, before wincing slightly. "Well, that's if I don't get caught using my phone again. Ahaha... Ha..."

"...Actually how _did_ you get off the hook for that, Satonaka-senpai? And for your teach' or whoever to even let you leave the school? Ain't that place supposed to be super strict or something?" Kanji asked.

"Huh, what, you mean I didn't tell you guys?" When she received synchronised movements of everyone else shaking their heads as a reply, Chie rubbed the back of her neck and tilted her head to the side slightly with a frown. "You know... I'm not really sure why, either. The inspector-in-charge got a phone call from Naoto-kun while he was still scolding me and then let me off after that. I guess they somehow knew each other and Naoto-kun found out about what happened and tried to help me out? I don't really know, but it's possible, since they're both in the same line of work and all."

"It could be the Shirogane name," Souji suggested.

"Could be," Chie said with a shrug, "but still, it feels kinda...wrong. That's why I think I should at least get back a day earlier than I'm supposed to."

"Well, tell your inspector we say 'Thanks' for letting you come over," Yosuke said with a grin. "And that we really appreciate it."

"No need to remind me," the cadet-in-training replied, breaking into a smile herself, the look of determination and fire that was distinctly Chie flashing in her eyes. "I've been telling myself to do just that the next time I meet him. Not sure how Inspector Suou's gonna take it, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Right?"

The group ended on that note with a smile that was shared by everyone, before they bid their farewells for the time being and went their separate ways once again.

***

**At the Ikebukuro Police Station**

On paper Shirogane Naoto was called to Ikebukuro for only one job, which was to help solve the mystery behind one Yagiri Seiji's suspicious death. And the reasons for her being called in were simple: she had worked on a similar case prior to this, and she wasn’t considered a stranger to Ikebukuro although she had not stayed here for long due to the nature of her work.

For those same reasons, there were two files laid open on the desk.

In the eyes of her colleagues, they were two separate cases, with the only main similarity tying them together being the fact that Naoto has had experience with such cases before.

And as always, Naoto saw differently.

It had nothing to do with her rather unique position as somebody who was a Persona user. It had nothing to do with her knowledge concerning the existence of other worlds and demonic swords. No, it had nothing to do with those, and it should come as no surprise as to why Naoto couldn't help but feel a little frustrated that nobody at the station picked up on the same thing as she did.

One file containing reports about Yagiri Seiji's death.

The other containing reports about Harima Mika appearing all over Ikebukuro last night, slashing anybody on sight with a scalpel. Including, supposedly, a particular Raira Academy student who had been seen trying to defend herself.

Seemingly unrelated, until one took into account the fact that Harima was Yagiri's girlfriend, was at one point brought in for questioning, had somehow, so conveniently, lost all of her memories concerning Yagiri Seiji not long after that – and had been recently hospitalised after being slashed herself.

In reality, there had only been one case of concern right from the beginning.

Naoto reached for her cell phone.

***

"Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions, Kujikawa-san. Your input would help a great deal with our work."

"Ah, it's not a problem at all," Rise said, waving it off as she put on her stage smile.

In return, the corners of the officer's lips curled into a smile that looked stiffer than the uniform he was donning. "Well, there is something else I'd like to discuss with you as well," he said, looking down at his clipboard, "concerning the deployment of some manpower to guard you—"

" _What?_ " The Risette face disappeared instantly. "I haven't been informed about that."

"Yes... Well... It was a request put in by your manager, Inoue-san..."

"He did?" Rise pondered about that, and decided that while it was a very Inoue-thing to do, she couldn't imagine something like that being approved by his superiors back at the agency. And there was no way the station could actually do something like that if they hadn't gotten her agency's official approval as well. "But, how...?"

"That might be a question for my superior who is more well-suited to answer," the officer responded with a curt nod. "So, about the guards..."

Rise politely shook her head. "Please tell your superiors that it's not needed."

The officer froze. "Oh, but, may I enquire why?"

"I appreciate what Inoue-san and the agency are doing for me. I really do. But I don't want it getting in the way of the station's work. You're supposed to be protecting people, and by that I mean everyone in this city, not giving special treatment to some teen idol who just so happened to get caught up in something."

The officer frowned slightly, as tiny beads of sweat started to trace his eyebrows. "But your personal safety is also our..."

"I understand, but I really don't think... Oh!" Rise's eyes brightened, a metaphorical light bulb illuminating over her head as she brought a contemplative finger to her chin. "Hmm... I think I have the perfect idea that can solve both our problems!"

"H-huh?"

The brunette flashed him an innocent smile; inwardly, Rise was giggling, swelling with pride towards her own plan.

***

_"...Hey..."_

_"...Hey, have you heard? There's this interesting little game that everyone's been playing."_

_"It goes like this: you have a group of four people, one standing at each corner of the classroom. Someone starts first, and walks up to the person in front of him, and then he taps 'im on the back. Then, the second person goes on to tap the back of the third person, and the third goes on to tap the back of the fourth, and they go around saying..."_

_"...Um, I can't remember..."_

_"Per-something, Per-something...?"_

_"Ahh, I don't know, the word was too difficult for me to remember...!"_

_"But I heard it's a pretty fun game! Lots of kids are playing it 'cuz it's s'pposed to show you what you’re gonna be when you grow up! I dunno how it works, but that's what I heard!"_

_"Do you wanna play that game with us? There's only three of us now, so we need one more person!"_

_"Come on, don't you wanna know what you're gonna be when you grow up?"_

_"...Huh? Where did I hear that game from?"_

_"Someone from the class, I guess. And they heard it from another class, who heard it from another class, and another class..."_

_"Umm... I think I heard him say the name of the kid who first talked about it."_

_"Uh... Mmm..."_

_"...Um... What was it again...?"_

***

**At an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

It was supposed to be a peaceful and uneventful day for the both of them.

After the very much-needed talk that had been put off for some time last night, between a headless Dullahan and a certain underground doctor whom she considered her beloved, they had both decided to spend this day in peace and quiet; terms that Celty had largely not been familiar with for a while. Just enjoying each other's company, for one full day, with no disturbances that could disrupt their day together.

Unfortunately, they were not alone, and that made all the difference.

"Shinraaaaaa," Izaya called out in a rather shrill manner; Celty swore she could hear the smug smirk in the man's voice, "where's the copy of today's paper you promised me? I thought you said you'd bring it to me when you're done with it."

"Coming, coming!" Shinra replied, a little too enthusiastically for it to be sincere. It wasn't long before he managed to find the aforementioned newspaper when his currently bedbound – by Shinra's own order and insistence, so he really had no one to blame but himself – friend added another request.

"And how's the delivery for my phone coming along? Did you get Courier-san to go fetch it for me?"

"Hey, don't make my dearie run over to Shinjuku just for that. If you want it that badly, then rest up – _as I advised you to_ – and get well enough so that I can let you go home," Shinra huffed as he popped into the room. "Here, your paper."

"Much obliged," Izaya thanked fleetingly. "Oh in that case, can I borrow your phone again, then? My work is piling as time goes by, and I hate keeping my clients waiting."

"Ha ha, what a perfectly crafted excuse to get me to lend you my phone. Sleep tight, Orihara-kun."

"But I just woke up, Sensei~"

"Yes, and evidently it's enough time for you to turn me into your personal babysitter. _Sleep tight, Orihara-kun_."

Shinra closed the door shut before Izaya could say anything else, turned back to the sofa and fell forward into the seat with a large sigh.

At the end of the sofa where Celty was seated, she felt the sofa bounce up a little, and waited for Shinra to get into a proper sitting position before she tapped on the screen of her PDA.

[You know he's just going to bother you again if you leave him alone like that long enough.]

Shinra gave a wry smile. "Yes, but I have to strike a balance. If I keep giving him what he wants, that leaves me with very little time to spend with you. But if I ignore him completely, he's just going to keep finding chances to disturb us. He's very good at that."

Celty's shoulders slump in a silent sigh. [It's one of his many so-called skills that I wish he can do without.]

"But it wouldn't be Orihara-kun if he wasn't annoying in the first place," Shinra said, before he fell uncharacteristically silent, as if he had just cut himself off and fell into a deep thought.

Celty tilted her "head" to the side. [What is it?]

"Mm, nothing much," Shinra replied. "Just, well... I was just thinking, what if we're being a little too hasty in making our judgement about Orihara-kun? We keep on saying that that's how he is, and that he won't ever change, but..."

[You're having doubts?]

"I guess you can say that," Shinra admitted, folding his arms across his chest. "From what you told me last night, it sounds like Souji-kun and the others really believe in the idea that Izaya can change, someday. I mean, we all would love it if he can do that, but... At the same time, the rest of us don’t really expect him to. Right?"

Celty nodded, slowly, unsure what Shinra was trying to get at. So she kept her PDA untouched, her fingers still, until Shinra continued.

"Maybe...maybe that's one reason why he hasn't changed all these years."

_'...?'_

"It's okay, I'm just speculating aloud," Shinra said, sensing Celty's confusion. Then, with a wide and cheerful smile that could practically reach the corners of his eyes, he shifted closer and closer, until their shoulders touched and Celty could feel the human warmth of Shinra's body radiating off him like a ripple in a pond. "So then, since we're finally left alone now..."

Out of pure instinct, Celty leaned back, away from Shinra's face. However, as the seconds ticked by, she slowly relaxed, and remained perfectly still as the brunet advanced closer, not too quickly but not too slowly either. His breath was as warm as the complex whirl of emotions he invoked in her, emotions that she didn't think she was capable of having. If she had a functioning heart, it would have also probably gone dead from working too hard pumping by now.

And then she remembered.

They were not alone in this apartment.

And a door that was left unlocked could be easily opened on both sides.

Celty leapt from her seat, leaving Shinra to plant his face on the sofa.

[L-let's have a game on the playstation!] Celty quickly typed out, almost practically shoving the screen in Shinra's face when he sat up. She barely gave him enough time to read the message before she walked briskly with a strange gait to the drawer to grab the controllers and the sparse collection of games they had kept there. She laid the games out on the table, and stiffly pointed to each and every one of them. [Y-you can pick one!]

Shinra let out a chuckle, readjusting his glasses. "Okay, okay, I guess we have time for a game or two. Hmm, let's see... How about this one?"

[It'll do.] Celty replied, grabbing the game Shinra had just picked up without as much as a glance at it, and went over to pop it into the game console.

"What's gotten into you, my dear? You're being so adorably nervous," Shinra laughed as the Dullahan made her way back to her seat, clutching onto the game controller as if it were her lifeline.

 _'Nothing, it's nothing,'_ Celty responded, shaking her "head". Even though she was fairly sure that Shinra knew the answer.

"If you say so," he replied in that infuriating knowing tone, but he didn't probe her any more than that, and focused on playing the game. It frustrated her, sometimes, how well Shinra really understood her, and how little she understood Shinra in return.

They were just about to go through the cutscene right before the monstrous boss battle when Celty saw the screen of her PDA light up.

_'A message...?'_

She turned to Shinra, who was honest enough to look a tad bit dejected, but set the game to the pause menu and flash her his usual bright smile regardless. Celty nodded, and so reached for her PDA without any qualms.

Izaya very impeccably and very suspiciously chose that particular moment to call for his personal doctor to the room again.

Shinra heaved an exaggerated sigh, and then reluctantly excused himself to attend to his patient.

"Yes?" he said, with false sweetness lacing his voice. "What do you want now?"

His acquaintance from middle school was smiling that infuriatingly twisted smirk of his, chin resting comfortably against the back of his fist with his arm nicely propped up on the desk while his other hand was busy holding up the newspaper Shinra had just passed to him not too long ago.

"Your Courier-san sure is fortunate, isn't she? Compared to this pitiful young lady who's been so unduly apprehended by the cops last night, your Courier-san is having the time of her life here instead."

"What are you talking abou—"

_'Shinra!'_

Even though his beloved lacked lips to transmit her voice, Shinra could hear her call as clear as crystal in his head as if she was right there yelling in his ears.

Shinra and Izaya both turned in the direction of the door, where they could spot a familiar black figure dashing towards the entrance of the apartment.

"Eh? Celty, where—"

_'Sorry, I need to go! We'll play again later!'_

"Ahh Celty wait at least let me give you—"

The door slammed shut.

"—a goodbye kiss...?" Shinra finished his sentence dejectedly, arms falling limp by his sides.

Izaya snickered. "You sure you want to do that while I'm around and make her feel embarrassed?"

"But I can't just _not_ hug or kiss her for who knows how long just because you're here!" Shinra whined, scrambling his hands through his hair. "It'll drive me crazy if I don't touch my darling at least once every 24 hours!"

"Heeh, you're more of a pervert than I thought," Izaya murmured. "Besides, haven't you already technically touched her last night when the two of you excused yourselves and never came back to check up on poor, bored me?"

"Oh, and _you_ would know what went on between Celty and me last night?"

"Of course I do. It’s not that difficult to guess when I didn’t see either of you until this morning."

"You really don't... Ah, forget it. I don't want to play the part of your Shadow and tell you what you obviously don’t want to hear again." Shinra shook his head.

Unfortunately, leaving the matter there, he should have realised based on his own understanding of the information broker named Orihara Izaya, would only pique the man's interest more, despite his warning. "’Really don't’...what, exactly? Don't leave me hanging there, Shinra."

"It's not for me to tell," Shinra said, putting on his best professional voice of a strict, no-nonsense doctor as though he was issuing out a strict order on his patient.

"You're being awfully mean to me recently, Shinra. Not that it’s unlike you, but, really, it's more like you're being meaner than usual."

"And whose fault is that, exactly?"

"Case in point." Izaya's grin only grew at the sight of the underground doctor's irritation. "It's quite refreshing to see you actually being annoyed for real, I must say. Is it because you've been expecting to see the slightest bit of change in me and you're disappointed at what you find? Ah but isn't that contradicting yourself? I mean, right before that, you said I wouldn't be me if I wasn't annoying."

"...So you _were_ eavesdropping after all..."

"So which is it? Are you or are you not disappointed?" Izaya pressed, being rather enthusiastic about being that annoying self of his for this conversation. Which Shinra was not keen on having while Celty was away, Izaya was deliberately being like this, and Shinra himself could sense he was steadily being provoked by his middle school acquaintance whom he was supposed to be able to see right through.

"I'm disappointed," the brunet answered, "that you still haven't told me what it is you called me in for, exactly."

And Izaya blinked, those copper-coloured eyes of his seeming to glint despite the lack of lighting in the room, a sort of shimmer that spelled trouble if it was seen in Orihara Izaya's eyes. The informant's plastic smile was back in place as he handed Shinra the paper.

Shinra took it, a faint suspicion growing when he noticed that Izaya didn't even say a word, and looked down at the heading of the article printed on that page that Izaya had just passed to him. His eyes widened, understanding settling in, explaining his future wife's frantic rush out of the house just moments earlier.

**_Slasher suspect spotted in Ikebukuro last night – High school girl: possible accomplice?_ **

It was the first name that appeared in the article. A name that Shinra hadn't expected to see.

"Sonohara Anri," he heard Izaya say it for him.

Shinra looked up from the paper only to be greeted by the sight of Izaya smiling like he had just won a petty sort of bet.

"It would be perfect if she gets locked up in a cage where she belongs for this.”

And oh how glad Shinra was, for once in his life, that Celty wasn't around to hear that.

***

**At the Ikebukuro Police Station**

"We...can't go in to see her?"

The one who had just spoken those words quietly, under his breath in disbelief, was Masaomi.

Standing next to him was Mikado, whose eyes kept darting back and forth his childhood friend and the police officer standing before them, behind the counter. At some point his attention drifted to the officer's colleagues, and he would look away immediately when he found himself meeting their eyes even for a split second.

The police officer let out a soft sigh.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. I have to go by the book. I'm really sorry."

"But, but why? She's our friend, sir... I mean, Anri wouldn't even harm an ant. She can't be the Slasher's accomplice, there has to be some kind of misunderstanding. She's being set up, she must be terrified, sir. At least let us go in to see her?"

"...Hold on, have you two perhaps misunderstood something?"

"Huh?"

Masaomi blinked, as did Mikado.

"As far as I'm aware, my colleagues assigned to the Slasher case are only asking your friend more questions about what happened last night. Once they're done and if there's nothing suspicious, they should be letting your friend go."

"R-really?" Mikado finally found his voice.

"Well, I can't make any promises. It'll depend on what my colleagues can dig up."

"Then there's nothing to worry," Masaomi said, wearing one of his trademark grins, the air around him obviously no longer as heavy and dense as it had seemed just moments prior, "because Anri didn't do anything wrong. Right, Mikado?"

"Th-that's right," Mikado replied, unable to hold himself back from smiling as well.

The police officer nodded slowly, a corner of his lips twitching to a polite smile as though it were on reflex.

"Well, if there's anything else..."

"Ah, thank you sir, but that's all the two of us came for. We'll just wait here until the questioning is over. Is that okay?" Masaomi asked, though Mikado knew him well enough to know that even if the officer denied his request he still would've found some other way to hang around in the area until Anri was released.

Thankfully, it didn't have to go to that extent because the cop nodded.

"There shouldn't be any problem, the station is pretty quiet today. But we're still on the lookout for the Slasher, so as long as you don't interfere with our work it should be fine."

"Yes! Thank you sir!"

Masaomi grinned and gave a salute, which made the officer chuckle a little. Mikado could only smile at such a sight.

The two then stepped away from the counter and headed for the empty seats within the station. They picked the seats that weren't too conspicuous, and yet offered them a wide enough view so that they would be able to see Anri when she was allowed to go, and quickly sat down.

"Thank goodness, it seems like Sonohara-san will be alright."

"Yeah, sure is a relief, huh? Man, that newspaper article was so misleading, calling Anri the Slasher's accomplice..."

He took pause as a frown crossed the former Yellow Scarves' leader's features, and leaned closer towards Mikado whose smile had vanished once he saw what his friend was doing, and continued speaking in a lower, quieter voice.

"For a moment, I thought someone was catching onto her, a bit."

"...Stop it, Masaomi. Someone could be listening,” Mikado replied. The coldness in his own voice stung even himself, and he felt his throat closing in on his own breath.

"...You're right. Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight."

With that apology said, Masaomi moved away, until the normal distance between the two of them was restored.

Mikado pursed his lower lip at that. He hung his head low, staring at his hands resting on his lap.

"I... Masaomi, sorry, I didn't mean..."

"Hey now, what're you apologising for?" Masaomi said with a weak chuckle. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Mikado looked up, meeting Masaomi's eyes. "But..."

"Mikado would never be wrong," Masaomi said firmly, resolutely. "You got that, Mikado? You would never be in the wrong. So there's nothing for you to say sorry for."

"Masaomi, but that's... I should have said it in a nicer—"

"You don't have to do that," Masaomi cut him off.

Baby blue eyes widened slightly.

"Masaomi..."

"I don't get it... Why are you holding yourself back?"

"...Eh?"

"You're obviously worried. I mean, I am, too. Not just about Anri, but about all the stuff that's been happening. Televisions switching on by themselves on rainy nights, Yagiri's passing, the Slasher going around cutting people up again, the thing with Risette yesterday... And now, someone's trying to frame Anri for something she didn't do. Something strange and dangerous is happening, and Anri is... She's being dragged into it.

"But you... You were just showing your concern for her, I know you were, that's why I don't blame you. Yet now you're sitting here and apologising for not sounding nice enough? Even if you're fine with doing that, it doesn't mean I am."

"Masaomi, hang on, I have no idea what you're trying to say anymore..."

The blond, however, shook his head.

"You do. You know exactly what I mean."

And Mikado couldn't bring himself to deny that any further.

He knew, of course. He knew exactly what Masaomi was driving at. There was so much that was being said that Mikado wasn't sure if he was reading between the lines correctly or if he was just complicating the meaning behind Masaomi's words, but it was clear as day that Masaomi was no longer just talking about the tone that Mikado had used on him just now.

At first glance Masaomi might seem like an impulsive airhead who lived day by day joking around and trying to pick up girls, but there was a reason somebody like that could become the Shogun of the Yellow Scarves, and so it sent a bit of a thrilled shiver down Mikado's spine to listen to Masaomi speak right now, and to be on the receiving end of his closest friend's scrutinising gaze.

Mikado returned the favour by narrowing his eyes slightly and softly, and by admitting, "...I thought Masaomi doesn't want to see me getting worried."

"You're right, I don't," Masaomi replied, folding his arms across his chest. "But that doesn't mean I want you hiding it from me and pretending you're a-okay when actually you're not. Haven't we gone through this already?"

"We did," Mikado confirmed, responding a bit too quickly for even his own liking. "We did. That's precisely why I don't want you to see how anxious I am over what's happening. If you did, then you'd only get worried for me too, and I don't want to put you through that all over again."

"Mika— Don't tell me..." Masaomi had choked halfway through saying Mikado's name, almost as if it pained him to even say it. Then he shook his head again, taking a deep breath before he exhaled it out slowly. "No, never mind. Let's just... Let's just put that aside and talk about fun things.”

“Masaomi…”

“I know, we can talk about that new RPG game that's just been released."

"RPG?"

"Yeah, that one. The new one, you know which one I'm talking about, right?" Masaomi cracked a smile. "I'm thinking about buying it, and I know you've already got a copy, so I wanted to have an honest opinion from a fellow gaming buddy before I fork out my savings for it. So tell me, Mikado. How far have you gotten into the game? ...Is it any fun?"

“New RPG game… Ahh, that one.”

Mikado pondered about the question, eyes rolling up to his left as he placed a finger on his chin and hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, I don't know how the story ends, so I can't tell if I'm still at the beginning, or in the middle, or nearing the end of the game... But I think it's safe to say I'm still at the beginning, so I can’t really tell if it’s all that interesting yet.”

Masaomi let out a half-sigh, half-chuckle. “Well, that’s go—”

“But…”

The blond blinked, flinching slightly. “But…?”

Mikado turned to face him with a smile, chuckling nervously.

“To be honest I’m not all that familiar with the rules of the game, or what I’m supposed to be doing, so that’s why I’m still kind of stuck, I guess. That’s why I’m thinking of using a walkthrough, or something… But it’s a bit embarrassing to admit that I’m only at the beginning and I already need a walkthrough.”

Masaomi stared at him for a moment, his eyes slowly growing wider and the colour in his face fading by the second.

“M…Mikado…”

“Eh? Wh-what’s wrong, Masaomi? You don’t look so good…”

“…Whose walkthrough are you thinking of using?”

“Huh?”

“Whose walkthrough are you thinking of using?” Masaomi repeated his question.

“I…”

“Is it one that was written…by that guy?”

“C-come on, Masaomi, you’re starting to sound a bit scary.”

“Mikado, please. Please, just be honest with me for this, just this once. Please.”

“Masaomi…”

“Please,” Masaomi begged again, his eyes unwavering even though his breathing was starting to sound a little bit hitched and erratic.

Mikado bit his lower lip.

“…It’s not,” he replied.

“…You’re sure?”

“Yes,” Mikado answered. “At first I thought it was… But it seems like I was wrong.”

“…Okay,” Masaomi sighed. “Okay, that’s… Well, I don’t want to say that that’s good, or whatever, but… Anything’s better than having it written by _that_ guy.”

Mikado decided against asking, for the umpteenth time, just what it was that _that_ guy had done that made Masaomi react in such a hostile manner whenever _he_ was brought up or mentioned in a conversation; the only thing that Masaomi would ever say was that that man could never be trusted, and nothing else beyond that.

“…Still…”

“Hm?”

Masaomi turned, regarding him with a steely gaze.

“Whether it was written by that guy or not… I still don’t want you referring to any walkthrough written by anyone. Hell, it would be perfect if you stopped playing the game now, but I know you better than that. Which is pretty weird, since you always used to be a real nervous wreck who would follow my lead when we were kids. Now you’re just a nervous wreck who can stand up for yourself at times.”

“…Eh? Is…is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Masaomi laughed, and then, after a short while, so did Mikado.

“Just remember our promise, buddy,” Masaomi said, swinging his arm across Mikado’s shoulders. “And never forget – you’re not alone. Okay?”

Mikado smiled, and muttered a word of gratitude, all the while pretending Masaomi’s words didn’t weigh as heavily in his heart as the arm of lead seemed to be as it pressed against his shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The last scene with Mikado and Masaomi was originally part of the next chapter, but I decided to move it here instead because I think it would be more effective if I placed it in this chapter. That's a bit of a hint for what's going to come right after this haha
> 
> Also - after 30 over chapters I finally reveal the name of Chie's inspector lol And yes, it is indeed a Persona 2 reference. That's why the inspector knew about the existence of Personas and the like - the inspector is none other than Katsuya :D I have this little headcanon that Katsuya and Grandpa Shirogane have worked together on a case before, and because Shirogane was so impressed with the way Katsuya handled it Katsuya became like a protege of sorts to him. It's also partly because it took place around 1 to 2 years after the accident that killed Naoto's parents, so Shirogane also sort of viewed Katsuya as a son, in a sense. Katsuya, having heard of the Shirogane name, has immense respect for him, and it had been one of his dreams to meet Shirogane in person, so he felt really honoured that he could learn from Shirogane. When Naoto later expressed interest in detective work, one of the people Shirogane brought her to meet and learn from was Katsuya, and that's how the two got to know each other. I wanted to reveal that it was Katsuya in a much earlier chapter...but it...totally slipped my mind orz
> 
> For the past month or so I've been planning out the sequel so that I can have a much clearer direction for this 'verse. I've been looking into various mythologies and Jungian psychology, and I think I have a good idea of where I want to take the sequel, but, being the indecisive person I am I haven't really settled down on it because I'm the kind of person who gets a bit anxious about whether it would be well-received and I would have the tendency to think there has to be a better idea that I haven't thought of yet. I'm going with it for now, though, but if I do hit upon another idea, I'll let you guys know :)
> 
> Thank you all for your support! :)


	47. Urban Unease II

**April 29, 2013**

**Outside the Ikebukuro Police Station**

_'...Okay... So, what do I do now that I'm here...?'_

Celty mulled over the question as she stared across the street at the entrance to the police station from a gap between two buildings, having parked Shooter elsewhere in a less conspicuous place, to Shooter's slight dismay.

She hadn't really considered it through throughout the ride to the station from her home. Once she received the message, she bolted straight out of the apartment she shared with Shinra and drove here without any hesitation. Upon further thinking, Celty wondered if that had merely been out of instinct, for she could not think of a plan of action now that she was here, or if there was a need for such a plan in the first place.

_'...Barging in there would surely cause all sorts of trouble... And if I sneak Anri-chan out, that would only make her even more suspicious...'_

However Celty tried to think of a way, she found that she couldn't without potentially putting Anri in an even riskier position than she was currently in. It would be defeating the purpose, and so the Dullahan remained where she was, at least until she could verify that Anri was safe.

Thankfully – or not, as it would quickly appear to her – she didn't have to wait for long.

_'...Hm? Is that...?'_

Sure enough, there she saw him. The person who had sent her the message. The person whom Anri had regarded as so important that she would do something as outrageous as agreeing to absorb another otherworldly essence into herself in order to protect him. The person whom Celty knew as Ryuugamine Mikado.

It didn't come as any surprise to Celty to see Mikado at the station, at this juncture. What did, however, was that Mikado seemed to be alone, looking to his right and to his left with a pensive look tugging at his youthful features before turning to a nearby corner.

Celty spent the next few moments watching him until his back figure completely disappeared behind the corner, before she stepped out of her hiding spot. She couldn't explain it, but seeing Mikado like that reminded her of what she had witnessed and overheard during last year's Golden Week, and the headless fairy couldn't help but flinch a little.

_'Something's...not right.'_

There was something about the boy that continued to make Celty feel uneasy.

In the first place, why did Mikado send her that message? Even if he had been hoping for her to bust Anri out of the station, he should have already realised that the last thing Anri needed right now was to be found to have an association with the Black Bike. It would cause even more unnecessary complications that would not do Anri, and Mikado should have understood that.

If that was the case, then there had to be another reason for why Mikado thought he needed to inform Celty about Anri's being taken in by the police. Something that he felt Celty needed to be involved in.

And it was most likely something that Celty wanted to be no part of.

But that was precisely why she couldn't just leave him alone like this now. If Mikado was intending for something he needed her help with, it certainly couldn't be any minor matter. At the very least, she could do something about it, unlike what happened last year. Maybe pull him out of whatever he was involving himself in, or stopping him from doing anything reckless.

So, the Dullahan followed him, until she got close enough to hear his voice.

"...not you, right?"

A brief moment of silence passed before he continued.

"Alright, I believe you. ...No, I had a feeling you're not involved, but I decided to ask just to be sure."

Then, he raised his voice to his normal, bright-sounding pitch. Celty could hear something akin to a nervous chuckle.

"I'm glad," he said. "I really don't know what I would've done if you had told me you did something. Um, so, we'll continue to keep each other updated? ...Okay, great. Yeah, that's all. Hope to hear from you again soon, Aoba-kun. Well, um, take care."

The conversation which sounded like a monologue ended with a beep tone. Celty waited until Mikado pocketed his phone before she walked up to the boy, whose back was facing her. She reached out to tap him on the shoulder.

Mikado gave a yelp as he spun around, baby blue eyes as wide as saucers before blinking. He let out a shaky breath, pressing his palm against his chest.

"O-ohh i-it's just you, Celty-san... Y-you surprised me..."

[Sorry, didn't mean to startle you like that.]

Celty knew that Mikado was anything but startled by her presence, but decided against asking what, exactly, the boy was so afraid of. It wasn't too difficult to figure out that it was being found like this, right after making that phone call.

"Ahh, it's okay. I just didn't expect you to be right behind me," Mikado replied with a sheepish chuckle. "So, um, you...got my message, then?"

The Dullahan nodded.

"I-I see. Haha of course you did, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

[So how is Anri-chan doing now?]

Mikado's face fell slightly.

"Well... She's still being questioned, I think. But the policeman Masaomi and I spoke with said that they'll let her go when they're done."

[That's...good, I suppose.] Celty wasn't too sure if she ought to be relieved, however.

"In a way," Mikado agreed, looking a bit hesitant himself.

Celty regarded the boy for a moment, before she typed out his name and showed the screen to him. He tilted his head to the side but didn't say anything, and so Celty continued to type:

[Why were you speaking with Aoba-kun?]

Mikado's eyes widened slightly, but it didn't take longer than a few seconds before they narrowed, the edges sharpening. The shift in his demeanour almost made Celty flinch.

"...You heard that?"

Celty's fingers hovered over the screen of her PDA for a brief moment.

[I heard everything.] She replied.

"...I see." Mikado shook his head. "No, I shouldn't even have asked. Of course you did. Come to think of it, something like this happened last year too, didn't it?"

[What is Aoba-kun asking you to do?] Celty typed. [What has he involved you in?]

"Huh? O-oh, please don't misunderstand, Celty-san. Aoba-kun isn't doing anything this time," Mikado explained, sliding back into his usual self. For a moment Celty wondered what it would've been like if Mikado had been in either Izaya or Shizuo's shoes and thrown into the TV. She suppressed a shudder at the thought.

[So then, why the phone call...?]

Mikado fidgeted. "Um, well... Actually I was the one who involved Aoba-kun in this, in a way. I wanted to make sure that what happened with Sonohara-san wasn't his doing, so I called him up to ask. Thankfully he didn't have anything to do with it... But I guess you already heard that, huh?"

He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Celty considered his words carefully, considered the things that had happened to Anri lately and the things that had happened to herself, Shinra, Shizuo and Izaya, and the things that were about to come. She wiped the previous message clean off the screen of her PDA.

[It's not just Anri-chan you've been worried about, is it?]

Mikado stared at the words for a moment. The air around him seemed to shift when he regarded Celty with a hardened gaze again.

"...What do you mean?"

[Lots of strange things have been happening to this place.] Celty pointed out. [Including...the incident with Risette yesterday. The incident that also…had something to do with the Dollars.]

"..."

[Mikado please whatever it is you're thinking of doing, please stop while you can. You don't have to get yourself involved yourself in this. It’s too dangerous for you.]

Mikado's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. The deafening silence that soon enveloped them both had Celty wondering if she had made a horrible mistake and wishing she could take those words back.

But just as that thought appeared in her mind, Mikado started beaming.

"Thank you, Celty-san."

_'......Eh?'_

"Thank you," Mikado repeated himself, as though he had detected Celty's confusion. "I think...I just wanted someone to say that to me. Someone other than Masaomi, I mean."

[...So... You really were about to...?]

"Do something about it?" Mikado finished the sentence for her. When she nodded, he continued with a contemplative frown, "I guess so. I don't know. It's hard to say. Probably?"

[But, um, what you told Aoba-kun...]

"Ahh, I'll make another call back to tell him not to bother anymore," Mikado reassured her. "If things are that dangerous, I don't want Aoba-kun involved in it either."

[No, I mean... What will you do with whatever information you asked Aoba-kun to look up for you?]

"I..." Mikado paused for a moment, his frown deepening. "I'm not sure. I haven't thought that far."

Celty nodded again. [That's a relief to hear.]

"Ahaha, is that so?" Mikado gave another meek laugh. "W-well, I guess I should get going now. Masaomi's gonna be wondering where I've gone to by now."

[Then you'd better hurry.] Celty agreed. [Oh, and... If it's not too much trouble, could you keep me updated about Anri-chan? I don't think it'll be good for the both of us if I stay here for too long, so...]

"Yes, of course. It's no trouble at all," Mikado replied with a smile. "Well, um, I'll take my leave now."

[See you around.] Celty gave him a wave of her hand as she showed him the message. Mikado bowed before he briskly walked away from the area.

***

**In a car, along a road in Ikebukuro**

"...Rise-chan..."

Rise turned towards the man seated beside her. "Hm? What is it, Inoue-san?"

"Are... Are you sure you want that person to be your bodyguard?"

The young idol innocently blinked her eyes. "Who do you mean by 'that person', Inoue-san?"

"Cut it out, Rise-chan, you know who I mean," Inoue chided.

Rise couldn't help but giggle, which was all the answer her manager needed.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure," Rise replied, though her mischievous smile probably was not the least bit reassuring as the grimace was still plastered on Inoue's face.

"Are you absolutely, _absolutely_ sure?"

That was when Rise fell into a pout. "Don't you trust me to make decisions for myself? I'm not a kid anymore, Inoue-san."

"It's not a matter of whether I trust you. On that note, I do believe that you should be able to decide on your own, don't get me wrong," Inoue quickly amended and clarified himself. "It's just... I've heard... _things_ about that man, so I'm not so sure if he's a suitable choice as your bodyguard."

"He's not as scary as the rumours say, Inoue-san," Rise said reassuringly. "I've talked to him before."

"Ah... So you have, huh?" Inoue mumbled, mostly to himself. "Well, I thought so, since you personally singled him out... But that's not really what I'm worried about."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Rise-chan, you mentioned it, I think. And so did the other guards. That the man who took you hostage said he was working for some other boss, or something like that... Something to do with the organisation called the Dollars." Inoue paused. "And what I heard is... The man you selected as your bodyguard is a member of that same organisation."

There was a few seconds of silence before Rise broke into another giggle.

"So that's what you were worried about," she said.

"Hey, it's no laughing matter, you know," Inoue responded with a grave expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," Rise said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "But really, Inoue-san, you don't have to worry about that. I mean, he's not a member anymore."

Inoue shot her an uncertain, wary glance. "Are you sure?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

Rise couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "Yes, Inoue-san, I'm sure."

Seemingly grasping the reason for her displeasure, Inoue let out a sigh. "Sorry, I'm just a little...uptight. After what happened to you yesterday..."

Rise softened at that. "It's okay, Inoue-san, I understand you're just doing your job looking out for me."

"Glad you realise that," said Inoue with a small smile.

"Oh and don't tell anyone else," Rise lowered her voice, sounding as if she was whispering, causing Inoue to tilt towards her a little while keeping his eyes on the road. When she finished murmuring the secret, the man recoiled so swiftly that his glasses nearly bounced on the bridge of his nose.

" _Wha_ —?!"

"The road, Inoue-san, the road!"

Inoue made a quiet choking sound before giving his chest a pat, as though to calm himself down. He quickly readjusted his spectacles and cleared his throat, smoothly recollecting his composure while still facing the road with slightly widened eyes.

"Is... Is what you just told me true?"

"Of course it is, Inoue-san. You know I wouldn't tell you these things if I didn't get my facts right."

"R...right. Right. Sorry, it's just..."

"Hard to believe?" Rise cheekily finished the sentence for him. Inoue nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah, I mean... From what I know, they're such different people that it hardly seems like they're related that way. But now that you mention it, I think I'm starting to see the family resemblance..."

"So do you trust my decision now?"

"...Well," Inoue began saying after a beat, "the most important thing to look out for in a bodyguard is his trustworthiness, so if you trust him that much, then I fully support you in your decision to employ Heiwajima-san as your personal bodyguard. At least, until the investigation is over."

"Really? Oh, thank you, thank you Inoue-san!" Rise cheered.

"Not so fast," Inoue added with a chuckle. "We still have a few details to sort out before we officially extend the offer to him..."

***

**In the security room, at Ikebukuro General Hospital**

"...Go back."

"I'm sorry?"

"Please, go back," Naoto repeated herself, keeping her tone even.

The security guard – a man looking to be in his early thirties – complied, and rewound the clip to the time point Naoto verbally requested him to. She watched the same scene unfold before her eyes again, and then politely asked the guard to set the clip to pause.

"May I ask why nobody filed an official report with the police with regards to this patient's absconding?" she questioned, pointing to the figure of Harima Mika on the screen. The girl who was of Naoto's age was dressed in the standard patient attire while taking a barefoot step out of the entrance to one of the hospital wards. The angle of the CCTV managed to perfectly capture her side view, revealing one wide and dazed eye, as well as her wrist which was stained with a thin trail of blood.

The guard looked mildly affronted, but Naoto detected no traces of displeasure in his voice as he spoke, "The standard protocol is to first conduct a hospital-wide search for the patient as well as gather as much information as possible from the staff managing the ward. The security tapes also have to be reviewed and scrutinised, and the patient's family or caregiver also needs to be contacted. It is only after confirming that the patient has indeed absconded that the hospital will file the report with the police. ...For this patient, we had completed the search according to the protocol and were about to file the relevant report when the Slasher incident took place.”

Naoto did not reply immediately. She first checked the exact date and timing of the clip they had been viewing, and noted that Mika was last recorded in the security camera at 3.20pm – nearly three hours before the attack on Anri in the streets.

_'...Considering the distance between the site of attack and the hospital, it wouldn't take her that much time to reach the venue... So the question is, had she been lying in wait until Sonohara-san came along...? But how would she have known that Sonohara-san would be there? Or was she wandering around until she spotted Sonohara-san? And if she had been out and about, how could no one have noticed someone wearing a hospital attire and walking around in public barefoot...?'_

That particular train of thought came to a pause as another possibility surfaced in Naoto's mind.

 _'Or... They_ did _notice. But they were commanded to forget."_

Naoto had a feeling that had been what truly happened. But feelings alone were not entirely reliable, particularly in an investigation. She had to find some way to substantiate it. And also, if such a possibility did indeed turn out to be true, then Sonohara Anri's efforts in the Velvet Room would have nearly amounted to nothing save for buying sufficient time to rescue Orihara Izaya before he disappeared permanently.

That thought was not the least bit reassuring.

_'But assuming that was truly the case, then why would the enemy allow the attack on Sonohara-san be publicised to this extent? ...Unless...'_

"Shirogane-san?"

At the mention of her name, Naoto blinked and returned her attention to the present moment.

"Ah... My apologies. I was trying to recall the time at which the incident took place."

"Of course," the security guard replied, most likely out of politeness.

"In any case, you were right about the protocol. My intention had been to establish a common agreement about the timeline of events. I did not mean to offend."

"I understand, Shirogane-san. After all, she is a victim of the Slasher, right? So it's no surprise if you are concerned for her safety." The man's eyes flicked to the monitor. "In any case... It is strange, isn't it? That a Slasher victim such as her would end up trying to slash someone else..."

Naoto, too, turned towards the screen, allowing apprehension flashing across her features. "...It is," was all she said.

"It's almost like a relay team or a game of tag or, something. Like, the victim will turn into the next Slasher and then the next Slasher passes it on. Maybe that's why the identity of the Slasher has been left unsolved until now." The man's eyes then widened as he swallowed a gasp back down his throat. "Ah... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said something like that."

"No, no, it is perfectly alright. It is not an unreasonable conjecture. In fact, you have brought up an interesting possibility," Naoto reassured him.

"I have?"

Naoto nodded. "Indeed. And I believe it may be useful to explore the case from such an angle. Thank you for sharing your thoughts."

That got a chuckle rumbling from the security guard. "No, it was just a lucky guess... I'm glad it'll be of use to you."

Naoto flashed him a curt smile of acknowledgement. "Anyway, let us return to our discussion about Harima-san's absconding."

The man quickly caught the shift in her tone and the atmosphere. His lips pulled to the same thin line he had had on his face since Naoto approached him for his aid. "Yes, let's," he said.

"While your team as well as yourself conducted the search for the patient according to the protocol, did anybody notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"Hmm..." The guard rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I don't think there was anything of particular to... No, wait, there was. Hang on, let me bring up the tape for you to view."

Naoto waited as he did. The screens were quickly replaced by another image, that of the interior of a ward which Naoto assumed had been the one Mika had been staying at.

"When my colleagues asked the staff on duty, the staff mentioned that they noticed a group of people entering Harima Mika-san's room after she disappeared. It wasn't long after that that a woman and man were seen entering the room as well...followed by the earlier group leaving. My colleagues intended to ask the men who left the room about Harima Mika-san's disappearance, but I think they refused to answer... Here it is."

The security guard had explained all of that while letting the clip play, ending only when the screen displayed the moment the aforementioned woman appeared in the ward. He hurriedly hit the pause button.

Naoto took a step closer to the screens, her arms folded across her chest. She drew in a gradual breath. _'That is... Yagiri Namie-san?'_ Now that explained why the older woman had been so eager to take her leave from Shinra's apartment yesterday, as well as where she had gone to.

"So your colleagues noticed that she had entered Harima-san's room?"

"That's right," the security guard replied, quickly understanding that had been his cue to resume playing the clip. It showed Namie entering the room as he had described, and then not long after that he set it to pause once again. "And this is the man that followed her in," he said, pointing to the figure on the screen.

Naoto bit the inside of her cheek. She recognised that gaudy sense of fashion anywhere, even though they had only met once.

 _'...Kishitani...Shingen.’_ The fifth in the Shirogane line of detectives loosely clenched a fist, questions racing through her mind so rapidly they are almost painfully incoherent. _'But... Why?'_

***

**In a laboratory somewhere in Tokyo, exact location unknown**

"So how's it looking on your side, dear niece of Seitarou?"

"Absolutely wonderful, considering that I’m handling the workload meant for two people all by myself."

"Now don't be like that. At least I'm giving you the chance to do something you're truly interested in again. With the additional benefit of temporary protection from the filthy world out there."

The former head of a pharmaceutical company snorted at that, and for a moment continued going about her work before she lowered her gaze and slowly placed her apparatus down.

"...Hey."

"Hmm?"

"What you told me yesterday... Was that true?"

If Shingen didn't have that gas mask on, Namie guessed she might've been able to see him raising a brow at that question.

"Are you doubting my words again? I thought you've already been through this with those kids from Inaba."

"I'm not referring to that," Namie retorted, regarding Shingen with a pointed look.

Shingen drawled out a muffled sigh. "Oh… About _that,_ then. Well, how else do you expect me to prove it to you? Like I said, I don't have a subject you can test it out on."

"Yet," she corrected sternly. "You don't have a test subject _yet_."

The older scientist took an exaggerated step back, raising his arms as though to defend himself. "Hrm! You catch on faster than I thought."

"That's because you do a poor job of hiding your horrible intentions," Namie pointed out accusingly.

"Horrible? Me? I don't exactly want to hear that from you." Shingen scratched the chin of his mask. "Hmm... But for you to say that, the possibility that you really _do_ care for your employer seems all the more likely now."

"Former employer, former," Namie emphasised, clenching her teeth. "And don't go pretending that you know me that well when you actually don't. I can't care less about what happens to that guy, alright?"

"Ohh what's this? Has Seitarou's niece actually been a tsundere at heart this entire time? No, wait, or should the more accurate term be kuudere...?"

"Keep that up, and I may start slipping this into your tea without you noticing," Namie threatened, holding up a beaker containing a cloudy suspension.

"Well luckily for me, I don't drink tea," Shingen replied with a chortle. "Or wait, wait, perhaps you're actually a yandere instead..."

Namie actually considered that for a moment. "For my beloved brother, maybe," she said. "But definitely not for who you're thinking of."

"If you insist." Shingen gave a flippant shrug. "Just remember these words of advice from a responsible, well-liked adult such as myself who has experienced much in life: denial doesn't do you much, if any, good. It's because of that that things like Shadows exist, after all."

"......You're only saying that because you've been wanting to say such a line to someone."

"U-urk!" Shingen choked and coughed into his mask. "H-how is it that you always seem to see right through me?!"

"Gee, I wonder. Perhaps it's because there is nothing to deny about my opinion towards that horrid man?"

Shingen, having recovered quickly as he always does, leaned in closer. "And that opinion would be...?"

"That he's probably one of the worst human beings in the entire world? That he's a complete and utter jerk, or bastard, or lowlife, or asshole, or vermin? Or all of that at once?" It was Namie's turn to shrug, then. "Take your pick. I can probably think of more."

"And yet you think _I'm_ horrible for what I intend to do to such a man?" Shingen questioned.

"That depends. Will you actually hold true to your word about that?"

"What kind of question is that? It sounds as if you're saying I'm not normally trustworthy."

Namie gave him a look that seemed to say precisely that. Shingen's shoulders slumped.

"Fine. If you really want a firm answer – then yes. Yes, I fully intend to see it through, and I'm looking forward to that day when I can finally realise it."

"I'll hold you to that, then," Namie said, resuming her work. "It's one of the reasons I agreed to help you with this, after all."

***

**At an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway**

Celty did not, in fact, return to the apartment she shared with Shinra straight away after parting with Mikado.

Instead, she had gone back to the shadows of the alley directly across the police station and waited until she finally saw three familiar high school students step out of the building. It was only then that she could feel a weight lifted off her chest. Aside from the obvious exhaustion marking her features, Anri appeared to be doing fine otherwise, and kept bowing before her two friends until they eventually convinced her otherwise. She waited until they had begun walking off before she, too, took her leave and departed from the area.

She gave Shooter a gentle stroke, thanking it for its patience, and it rubbed its handle against her thigh in response. With a silent chuckle, Celty hopped on, and they both headed home. She felt her PDA vibrate along the way, but did not stop to answer it, knowing that it had to have been Mikado's message as he had promised, and so continued on their journey back home in peace and relief.

Celty returned home to a Shinra who had glued himself to the door and crying her name. When she asked how Izaya had been during her absence, all elation drained from the doctor's face.

"Ehhh? You're finally back home and the first thing you ask your future husband is something about another man?"

If Celty could breathe, she would've choked at what Shinra just said.

[Shinra...... Are you jealous...?]

"Of course I am?!" His answer was immediate and almost sounded hysterical. Which only served to make Celty flustered as she tried to type out her response.

[Seriously...?! Oi, you’re talking about me and Izaya you know?! Shinra, are you alright?!]

"Can you blame me?" Shinra whined. "Especially after what you told me yesterday, I can't help but think..."

[Well you're overthinking it!!] The shadow that normally trailed out of her neck formed a small exploding cloud that sent her helmet flying to the ceiling. [Anyway didn't I already explain it to you last night?? The one Izaya had...close...ugh...contact...with...wasn't...me...] Celty shook her "head" furiously, and with one more message: [Arrghhh I can't believe you're making me say this again!!] she clenched a fist and delivered a swift punch to Shinra's gut, causing him to double over.

"O-okay... I-I get it... I get it, Celty... So please, don't get mad...?" Shinra said after a coughing bout.

There was another small burst of smoke as Celty's way of huffing, but once it disappeared she kneeled over and helped Shinra back to his feet and led him to the sofa. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, she pushed the screen of her PDA to his face.

[Just so we're on the same page: I forgive you, and I can understand your concern. But seriously!]

Shinra laughed, but it came out broken and truncated as the offended part of his stomach continued to ache.

"Sorry, sorry... I'm really sorry," he apologised over and over again, wearing a fond smile as he faced his beloved directly. "But I can't help it, you know? You said it yourself that your head is still connected to you. So if Orihara-kun has kept your head by his side this entire time... Doesn't that mean he's been in possession of a part of my Celty? As your husband-to-be, I can't quite accept that, you know?"

[Stop it, you're making this sound like some strange, fantastical love triangle. And also, I don't recall ever agreeing to marrying you.]

"Ehh? But I thought you're finally warming up to the idea of regarding Father as your father-in-law..."

[I never said that. You're getting delusional.]

Shinra smiled coyly as he inched closer to the love of his life. "So what happened last night was all just a figment of my imagination?"

Celty stiffened. [Y...yes. Yes it was.]

"Hm-hm, so... When we made our vows of eternal love to each other – was that just a delusion too?"

[Wait we never had something like that!]

Shinra nodded teasingly. "Right, so Orihara-kun must've been imagining things when he said, and I quote, that I already 'technically touched you last night' as if he knew what happened when he wasn't there while we were having our conversation."

Celty's neck went poof for the third time that day – three times too many for her liking. [Th-th-that's right! N-nothing happened between us!] When Shinra's words registered in her mind, she hurriedly erased the previous message and typed: [Wait... What did you just say?]

"And also, when he turned right in the direction of the door when you ran out this morning, even though you didn't come in to show your PDA... That must've just been because he was hearing voices, right? I think we can even say he was being delusional too."

[Hang on, Shinra, I have no idea what you're talking about...]

"And just now, you found me already waiting by the door, right? That's because Orihara-kun told me you'd be coming back soon. When I asked him how he knew, he wouldn't tell me, just that he 'had a feeling'."

Celty's hands slowly fell to her lap. That was when she realised Shinra was no longer smiling.

"Celty," he said, lowering his voice. "I think we can't put this on hold until tomorrow anymore."

Then, with a pause, he stole a glance at the door to Izaya's room, before he turned back to Celty and said, with all seriousness:

“We need to talk this out now. The three of us.”

*******

**Outside Mikado's apartment**

"...Well," Masaomi broke the silence that had descended since dropping Anri off at her apartment, flashing Mikado a grin, "guess we've arrived at your place."

Mikado made a non-committal sound, returning Masaomi's grin with a small smile of his own.

Masaomi gave him a pat on the shoulder. "So I'll see you and Anri-chan in school tomorrow, then."

"...Yeah," Mikado spoke. "Thanks for today, Masaomi."

The blond barked out a laugh. "Now you're suddenly sounding all sappy," he remarked, which caused Mikado's cheeks to turn pink. "Alright, alright, get going now. It's been a long day, and we gotta get up early tomorrow."

"Right," Mikado chuckled, turning for the stairs. "See you tomorrow, Masaomi."

"See you, buddy," Masaomi replied with a wink. He stood at the bottom of the stairs and watched his friend disappear behind the door to the run-down building before the grin instantaneously vanished, replaced by an emotionless expression as he fished his phone out of his pocket.

 _'...Well then,'_ he thought to himself as he unlocked his phone. _'Guess it's time for me to make a move.'_

He raised his head, gluing his eyes to the door to Mikado's apartment. _'...I'm sorry, Mikado. But this is for your own good, as well as Anri's. ...I'm sorry.'_

There were many things Masaomi was apologising for, but he had no idea where to begin from, so even in his mind he could not say more than the words "I'm sorry".

Sliding one hand in his pocket, the blond walked away from his best friend's home, and waited until he was at quite a significant distance before he tapped on the screen of his phone and placed it against his ear. He did not have to wait longer than a second before the other party picked up.

"What's the situation?" Masaomi muttered under his breath.

"It's quiet for now," came the reply. "But there are a handful that keep loitering around."

"...Then it should be them," Masaomi concluded with a sigh. "Thanks for keeping a lookout, Yatabe. Sorry for taking up your holiday. You can go home now."

"But... What do _you_ intend to do, Shogun?"

"Don't call me that, I'm not your leader anymore. Besides, I'm not doing this in capacity of the position I used to have."

"Shogun will always be Shogun to me," Yatabe insisted. "And I'm not the only one thinking that."

"Stop it, I... I can't. You guys know that."

Yatabe didn't press the issue. "...Alright," he conceded. "But I still want to know what it is you plan on doing...about those guys."

"...I thought that would've been obvious by now," Masaomi chuckled wryly.

"Sh-Shogun... You can't! I won't allow it!"

"I understand the dangers, but I have to do this, Yatabe. You can say all you want, but you won't change my mind."

"At the very least, allow me to—"

"No," Masaomi cut in sharply. "This is my fight. I won't drag you into it."

"Sh...Shogun..."

"I'm the reason for this," Masaomi murmured. "I made my decision back then, and I'm going to keep standing by it. If this is part and parcel of the decision I made, then I'm going to take full responsibility for it. So if I see you getting yourself involved… I won't forgive you. You hear me?"

"But still..."

"Oi oi, do you have that little faith in my skills?" Masaomi laughed in spite of the situation. "I wasn't your leader in the past for nothing, you know."

Masaomi could imagine Yatabe biting his lower lip. "I...I know," he responded hesitantly, before heaving a huge sigh over the phone. "You're right, Shogun. I shouldn't have doubted you. It's just..."

"...It's okay, Yatabe. I get it, even without you telling me." A corner of Masaomi's lips curled upward. "So... Thanks. For worrying. You really are a great pal to have."

"Shogun...!"

_'...Okay, what's with all the sappiness today? Now this is becoming really awkward.'_

Masaomi cleared his throat. "Anyway, you'd better leave now. I'm already almost there, and we both know you're not going to like what's about to happen."

"...Okay," Yatabe complied, his voice going softer. "Be careful, Shogun."

"I will," Masaomi replied, and then he ended the call. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket, but not before catching himself staring at the screen upon ending the call. His eyes narrowed as he recalled the private message that had been left on the chat last night.

_The Dollars want their Boss back, nya._

_And they'll do anything to get what they want—_

_—even if it means having to work together with the Slasher. Nya._

_Some of them will be waiting._

_Where the first Dollars meeting took place._

_I think you already have an idea of what to do. Right, nya?_

His fingers began curling so tightly they nearly drew blood from his palms.


End file.
